Recent years have seen a rise in cyberattacks carried out by governments and non-governmental organizations. These attacks are carried out to steal intellectual property or damage your computer’s operating system. While these attacks may seem like a futuristic concept, the first attack was likely in 2008 during the Russo-Georgian war. Let’s learn more about this first cyberattack and how it paved the way for future attacks!
The first cyberattack carried out as part of a whole operation was probably in 2008 during the Russo-Georgian war.
There may have been cyber conflicts between states before, many of which we probably don’t know about, but some of which we do. For example, the Israeli-US Stuxnet virus attack on Iranian nuclear facilities probably started in 2007 but only became known in 2010, or the 2007 Russian attack on the Estonian internet. Before the 2008 Russian-Georgian conflict, a Russian attack was launched on the Internet, targeting several Georgian websites and the country’s critical infrastructure.
The country’s official news agency, several telephone companies, and an oil pipeline control system were cyber-attacked. When the fundamental operations were launched, a massive IT overload was launched against Georgia’s state and other websites to make it difficult to communicate within the country and inform its inhabitants. This was followed by the appearance of disinformation sites aimed at discrediting the Georgian leadership. The clash ended in a victory for the Russian/South Ossetian/Abkhazian side. South Ossetia and Abkhazia became independent states but were only recognized by Russia and a few smaller states.
Russian-Georgian conflict
The 2008 Russian-Georgian conflict resulted from a long-term disagreement between Russia and Georgia over the territory in South Ossetia, located near the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The fighting began on August 7, 2008, when Georgia’s military tried to retake control of South Ossetia by force. Russia responded with overwhelming force and eventually pushed back Georgian forces to the city of Tskhinvali. The conflict ended on August 14 as a ceasefire went into effect after Russian forces recaptured all major cities in South Ossetia.
What is a cyber attack?
A cyber-attack uses computer networks to cause disruption, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system or network. A cyber attack can have various motivations, including espionage, conventional warfare, financial profit, and retaliation for an event such as a perceived violation of international law.