Cybernews: Don’t underestimate the “script kiddies,” experts say

Politically motivated cybercriminals with unsophisticated tools can swiftly adopt far more destructive weapons. Experts say it would be a mistake to underestimate groups such as Killnet, which are often not taken seriously.

In an excerpt from Cybernews’ article, published October 13, 2022, Phosphorus CSO Brian Contos cautions organizations from ignoring these attacks. Read the full article here. 

While Killnet’s criminal past shows the group’s members are no ‘script kiddies,’ claims Brian Contos, Chief Security Officer of cybersecurity company Phosphorus, they are yet to exhibit sophistication in employing other attack vectors besides DDoS.

However, he adds, DDoS attacks can be impactful to organizations, like financial institutions, that can’t afford any downtime. So far, Killnet’s attempts to crash the websites of such American organizations have been unsuccessful.

For example, a couple of days after attacks on US airports, Killnet’s Telegram channel was abuzz with gee to attack and disable websites of JP Morgan Chase Bank. At the time of writing, the attempts remain fruitless. Nonetheless, Contos advises against having a false sense of security.

“I would caution all organizations to take the threat from Killnet and other pro-Russia groups very seriously. Don’t discount them because they are “only” using DDoS. Their tactics and technical capabilities could change over time, or even very quickly, as new members join,” Contos said.