Do We Really Need to Worry about Critical Infrastructure? Discussion about Cyber Operations in the Context of Leaked Vulkan Files

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Presented at SecTor 2023 by

Marina Krotofil

In the past, the definition of hybrid war was frequently reduced to a composition of kinetic and cyber warfare to simplify the discussion. Lessened to just two components and in the absence of real-world examples of hybrid war, it was often argued that cyberwarfare, and especially attacks on various critical infrastructures, had the potential of having a critical role at times of significant conflicts with combat actions. However, the events in the Ukrainian war theater have shown that kinetic weapons were preferred at the time of tactical military operations. Ever wondered why this was the case?This talk will consist of two parts. The first part will provide a short yet comprehensive summary of the recently leaked "Vulkan files", classified documentation which provides details about Russian hybrid warfare strategy and distributed software platforms to prepare and manage cyber- and information operations in a centralized manner. In the second part, we will analyze notable Russian cyber operations in the post-Stuxnet era (after 2010) and show how Russia gradually evolved and tested its cyber capabilities and hybrid warfare vision. Some of the operations will be discussed with technical details based on first- and second-hand experiences with such operations. By the end of this talk, the audience should get a better idea about a wide range of factors that impact the success of cyber operations and why cyber attacks on critical infrastructures are more frequently opportunistic than strategic as well as may not always yield the desired impact. In conclusion, the talk will outline a type of cyber operations being conducted in war and peace times.