A little-known US team that hunts global adversaries has helped protect Ukraine from cyber attacks.
Russia failed to take down Ukrainian computer systems with a massive cyber-attack when it invaded this year, despite many analysts' predictions. The work of a little-known arm of the US military which hunts for adversaries online may be one reason. The BBC was given exclusive access to the cyber-operators involved in these global missions.
Since 2014, Ukraine has witnessed some of the world's most significant cyber-attacks, including the first in which a power station was switched off remotely in the dead of winter. This means a new role for the US military, whose teams are engaged in "Hunt Forward" missions, scouring the computer networks of partner countries for signs of penetration.
Most of their work has been battling state-hackers from China and North Korea but Russia has been their most persistent adversary. Some countries have seen multiple deployments, including Ukraine, where for the first time cyber attacks were combined with a full-scale war. "We were able to offer the US a new 'hunting ground' for malicious actors and share our experience and acquired knowledge," he adds.The Americans need to convince their hosts they are there to help them and not to spy on themEven countries allied to the US can be nervous about allowing the US to root around inside sensitive government networks.
"I'm not interested in your emails," is how Mark, who led two teams in the Indo-Pacific region, describes his opening gambit. If a demonstration goes well they can get down to work. What was bizarre was that it appeared to be one of the local network administrators the team was working with. That person was standing right behind Chris. Could it be some kind of insider threat?"That is my computer, but I swear that's not me," the administrator responded, transfixed as if watching a movie. Someone had stolen his online identity.
A cat-and-mouse game is often played with hackers from Russian intelligence agencies who are particularly adept at changing tactics. Hunt Forward missions are classed as "defensive" but Gen Paul Nakasone, who leads both the military's Cyber Command and the National Security Agency confirmed offensive missions have also been undertaken against Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. But he and others declined to provide further detail.A threatening message appeared on Ukrainian government websites last year