Get All Access for $5/mo

Meet the IT Army of Ukraine, the army of volunteers working to hack Russian sites The call for "crowdhacking" was made by Ukraine's minister for digital transformation and boy has it worked...

This article was translated from our Spanish edition.

naito8 | Getty Images

Wars in 2022 cannot be fought as they were 100 years ago. Wow, not even like it was a decade ago. Things have changed and aggressions do not only happen on the battlefield, but also in the digital spaces on which the communication of a country depends to a great extent today. What we know is that in addition to the soldiers fighting on the front lines, there is an army of programmers and hackers . who have come together from various parts of the world to launch an offensive against Russian sites.

The group goes by the name IT Army of Ukraine and was formed by Mykhailo Fedorov , Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation. On February 26, the young 31-year-old politician launched a call through his Twitter account with the following message: "We are creating an IT army. We need digital talents. All operational tasks will be given here: https://t.me/itarmyofurraine . There will be homework for everyone. We continue to fight on the cyber front. The first task for cyber specialists is already uploaded on the channel".

The league mentioned in the tweet directs a Telegram channel that already has more than 36,000 subscribers from different parts of the world who have joined the Ukrainian cause and who work to hinder day-to-day life in Russia by hacking various sites (especially all government). Reports from the Wall Street Journal report that more than 400,000 may have joined the cause and according to NetBlocks , a company dedicated to monitoring the operation of sites around the world, various pages linked to the Russian government have suffered constant interruptions since the conflict began.

CROWDHACKING, A NOVEL WEAPON

We are familiar with the term crowdfunding , a collaborative mechanism to raise funds using social networks and digital media. Fedorov's call makes visible an activity little known until now: crowdhacking , which consists of asking a community of developers to use their resources and knowledge to fulfill an objective in the digital environment; it is typically used to search for vulnerabilities on a given site. The so-called ethical hackers work together looking for how to penetrate the security systems of a page and then shield it. This war has made visible a practice that is regularly carried out anonymously and that raises complex ethical questions, but it is a reality: penetrating the security systems of a page to disable it.

DON'T MISS A SINGLE STORY. FOLLOW US ON OUR SOCIAL NETWORKS.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business Solutions

Right Now, You Can Get More Than 310 Hours of IT Training for Just $50

Stay ahead in tech with the CompTIA Super Bundle.

Business News

Here's What the CPI Report Means for Your Wallet, According to JPMorgan and EY Experts

Most experts agree that there will be another rate cut next week.

Operations & Logistics

The Holidays Mean Vacation Time — But Disaster Can Still Strike. Is Your Crisis Plan Ready?

Holidays mean different working hours for companies and different schedules for employees that take off. Before you and your team enjoy some much deserved time off, it is important to put a crisis management plan in place so your business is ready to tackle any issue that crops up.

Starting a Business

How to Start a Freight Brokerage Business

Get your entrepreneurial destiny really moving by becoming a broker--matching shippers and transportation servicess--for the freight industry.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Side Hustle

After This 26-Year-Old Got Hooked on ChatGPT, He Built a 'Simple' Side Hustle Around the Bot That Brings In $4,000 a Month

Dhanvin Siriam wanted to build something that made revenue from ChatGPT, and once he did, he says, "It just caught on."