Russia’s ransomware group Conti has warned it will expand its “full capacity to respond” if the United States and its Western allies use cyberwarfare as a measure against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The threat is valid if there is “an attempt to target critical infrastructure in Russia or any Russian-speaking region in the world,” Conti said in a blog post, as reported earlier on Reuters.
Conti added that he was not in alliance with the Russian government and condemned the ongoing war, but that he would “use our resources to retaliate if the well-being and security of civilians are threatened by American cyber aggression.”
Read more: Russia invades Ukraine: Recent updates as US personally sanctions Putin
The statement should be requested by the Ukrainian government on Thursday volunteers from the hacker community to help protect its critical infrastructure and spy on Russian troops, according to Reuters. It came after a number of Ukrainian government websites and banks collapsed after being hit by a cyber attack on Wednesday.
On February 18, US officials blamed them for cyberattacks Banks and the military of Ukraine earlier this month in Russia. These attacks were the last in a series of digital invasions who are accused in Russia.
The US Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency sent advice in September 2021 on ransomware Conti. CISA and the FBI say they have seen more than 400 attacks on US organizations and international companies using Conti ransomware.
Read also: Refugees in Ukraine: How to help those affected by the Russian invasion