Julia Sweet received her PhD in global affairs from Rutgers University, NJ. She has published several articles and repeatedly participated in conferences, presenting research about disinformation, fake news, social movements, terrorist marketing strategies, the financing of terrorism, and cybercrime. Her research was supported by the Jordan Center, NYU, and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University. In 2014-2023, she created numerous reports on nationalist and extremist organizations circulated in Russian and European cyberspace, many of which prepared or committed terrible terrorist attacks in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Russia, and other states.

In this detailed, provocative analysis, Sweet, an analyst for the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), examines the activity of Russian hacker groups during the first year of the 2022 Russian war in Ukraine. In cyberwar, hackers and hacktivists attack computers or networks to cause damage or to extort payment—fighting "without spilling ... blood" (p. ix). Cyberwarfare tactics include distributed denial-of-service and botnet attacks, website defacement, and computer system intrusions. Hackers operate anonymously to avoid detection and prosecution and to maintain an aura of uncertainty about their true size and influence. Based on data collected from 10 hacker organizations espousing a pro-Russian political agenda, this book draws on thousands of social media entries and information from Russian media outlets. There are many troubling insights into cyberwarfare, examining the circulation of false claims, hacking by governments versus private actors, how hackers choose particular targets, their fraught relationships with governments, and how they raise and launder funds via cryptocurrency. Altogether, this is a valuable case study for understanding the nature and dynamics of hacking and hacktivism as an adjunct to the bloody war in Ukraine. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

• ForewordAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Hackers’ Attacks on RussiaChapter 2. Hacker Organizations: Active and Dangerous or Childish and AnnoyingChapter 3. Russian Hackers: Social Media Presence and Brand BuildingChapter 4. Hackers Gather Public Trust and RecognitionChapter 5. Hackers’ Attacks: Who Is a main target - Ukraine, Europe, or the United States?ConclusionIndexAbout the Author

Julia Sweet received her PhD in global affairs from Rutgers University, NJ. She has published several articles and repeatedly participated in conferences, presenting research about disinformation, fake news, social movements, terrorist marketing strategies, the financing of terrorism, and cybercrime. Her research was supported by the Jordan Center, NYU, and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University. In 2014-2023, she created numerous reports on nationalist and extremist organizations circulated in Russian and European cyberspace, many of which prepared or committed terrible terrorist attacks in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Russia, and other states.

In this detailed, provocative analysis, Sweet, an analyst for the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), examines the activity of Russian hacker groups during the first year of the 2022 Russian war in Ukraine. In cyberwar, hackers and hacktivists attack computers or networks to cause damage or to extort payment—fighting "without spilling ... blood" (p. ix). Cyberwarfare tactics include distributed denial-of-service and botnet attacks, website defacement, and computer system intrusions. Hackers operate anonymously to avoid detection and prosecution and to maintain an aura of uncertainty about their true size and influence. Based on data collected from 10 hacker organizations espousing a pro-Russian political agenda, this book draws on thousands of social media entries and information from Russian media outlets. There are many troubling insights into cyberwarfare, examining the circulation of false claims, hacking by governments versus private actors, how hackers choose particular targets, their fraught relationships with governments, and how they raise and launder funds via cryptocurrency. Altogether, this is a valuable case study for understanding the nature and dynamics of hacking and hacktivism as an adjunct to the bloody war in Ukraine. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

• ForewordAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Hackers’ Attacks on RussiaChapter 2. Hacker Organizations: Active and Dangerous or Childish and AnnoyingChapter 3. Russian Hackers: Social Media Presence and Brand BuildingChapter 4. Hackers Gather Public Trust and RecognitionChapter 5. Hackers’ Attacks: Who Is a main target - Ukraine, Europe, or the United States?ConclusionIndexAbout the Author

Julia Sweet received her PhD in global affairs from Rutgers University, NJ. She has published several articles and repeatedly participated in conferences, presenting research about disinformation, fake news, social movements, terrorist marketing strategies, the financing of terrorism, and cybercrime. Her research was supported by the Jordan Center, NYU, and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University. In 2014-2023, she created numerous reports on nationalist and extremist organizations circulated in Russian and European cyberspace, many of which prepared or committed terrible terrorist attacks in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Russia, and other states.

In this detailed, provocative analysis, Sweet, an analyst for the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), examines the activity of Russian hacker groups during the first year of the 2022 Russian war in Ukraine. In cyberwar, hackers and hacktivists attack computers or networks to cause damage or to extort payment—fighting "without spilling ... blood" (p. ix). Cyberwarfare tactics include distributed denial-of-service and botnet attacks, website defacement, and computer system intrusions. Hackers operate anonymously to avoid detection and prosecution and to maintain an aura of uncertainty about their true size and influence. Based on data collected from 10 hacker organizations espousing a pro-Russian political agenda, this book draws on thousands of social media entries and information from Russian media outlets. There are many troubling insights into cyberwarfare, examining the circulation of false claims, hacking by governments versus private actors, how hackers choose particular targets, their fraught relationships with governments, and how they raise and launder funds via cryptocurrency. Altogether, this is a valuable case study for understanding the nature and dynamics of hacking and hacktivism as an adjunct to the bloody war in Ukraine. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

• ForewordAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Hackers’ Attacks on RussiaChapter 2. Hacker Organizations: Active and Dangerous or Childish and AnnoyingChapter 3. Russian Hackers: Social Media Presence and Brand BuildingChapter 4. Hackers Gather Public Trust and RecognitionChapter 5. Hackers’ Attacks: Who Is a main target - Ukraine, Europe, or the United States?ConclusionIndexAbout the Author