Zelenskyy Tries To Legalize Cyberhacking Army Against Putin

(NewsReady.com) – One of the ways Russia launches attacks on countries is through cyber warfare. In fact, cyber weapons have played a major role in the conflict. At the beginning of the invasion, an army of hackers formed and volunteered to attack the Russian government. The Ukrainian government is now drafting a law that would legalize the hackers’ activity.

The IT Army includes both Ukrainian and international volunteers who work with the defense ministry and other officials to target Russian websites and infrastructure. Ukraine’s government is now drafted a law that would make the group an official part of the armed forces. That would reportedly insulate the volunteers who have been operating in a legal gray area for more than a year. If the law passes, Ukraine would have a large cyber force capable of aiding its military online. Other countries, like Estonia, also have such forces.

The law could mean the volunteer force would be replaced with people who are formally trained. Or it could be a combination of the current IT Army and individuals who were given more training if they showed they were gifted in the field of technology during their military service after high school.

Ukraine would join a handful of other Western nations, led by Finland and Estonia, that have a full-scale reserve cyber force to augment their regular military https://t.co/3HBpv2XX05

— Chris Wysopal (@WeldPond) March 14, 2023

Over the last year, the Ukrainian IT Army has been celebrated for its ingenuity. Volunteers who have joined sometimes use their smartphones to launch elaborate attacks on Russia. In February, experts told Newsweek the cyber force could be a blueprint for the rest of the world.

As much as it has helped the Ukrainian military, the group of hackers has also come under fire for attacking Russian civilian targets, like hospitals. Nataliya Tkachuk, secretary of the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity, told Newsweek that the cyber forces would fall under Zelenskyy’s control. However, she refused to answer specific questions about the proposed law.