The people of Belarus are fighting back against Russia in a big way.
A hacktivist group known as the Belarusian Cyber Partisans claimed it infected the network of the state-owned Belarusian Railways with ransomware in an effort to stall movement of Russian military personnel as tensions at the Ukrainian border continue to escalate.
The group cited concerns over Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who has aided Russian troops and allowed massive military exercises within its borders, as the primary reasoning behind the attack.
The Cyber Partisans shared this message on Twitter:
Yuliana Shemetovets, a spokesperson for the Cyber Partisans, discussed the disruption efforts:
"Mostly commercial (freight) trains are affected. We hope it will indirectly affect Russian troops as well but we can't know for sure.... At this point it's too early to say."
However, the group disrupted more than intended. A Belarusian Railways representative said that some online resources and ticket sales were disrupted because of the cyberattack, affecting local travelers.
Shemetovets said "the intention was not to impact any passengers," and they were working to fix the ticket sales issue.
Emergence of the Belarusian Cyber Partisans
Aside from the demands made for the release of the encryption keys to the railway's system, the Belarusian Cyber Partisans have one goal in mind: overthrow the current president, Alexander Lukashenko.
The hacktivists emerged in August 2020 after Lukashenko was reelected to a sixth term in an election that many would consider illegitimate.
They were then able to breach the railway network in December 2021 after entering its signal and control system, leading to the recent incident.
The group also claims to have hacked the Belarusian Interior Ministry's passport database and a police database, publicly disclosing names of officials who allegedly opened criminal investigations against peaceful protesters.
A representative of the group spoke to its purpose:
"The government continues to suppress the free will of Belarusians, imprison innocent people, they continue to unlawfully keep... thousands of political prisoners. The major goal is to overthrow Lukashenko's regime, keep the sovereignty and build a democratic state with the rule of law, independent institutions and protection of human rights."
As the situation continues to unfold between Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, will the Cyber Partisans continue to intervene?
