Sirvi Autor "Berner, Simon" järgi

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Telegram-based Russian hacktivism as a new phenomenon and the influence of media visibility on target selection
(Tartu Ülikool, 2025) Berner, Simon; Mölder, Martin, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 resulted in a rise in cyber threats and initiated a continuing surge of coordinated cyberattacks by Russian-speaking hacktivist groups targeting countries expressing solidarity with Ukraine. This thesis explores the emergence of Telegram-based Russian hacktivism following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and examines the extent to which domestic media coverage influences the frequency of cyberattacks claimed by these groups. While prior academic literature has focused on hacktivism as the use of the internet to promote or resist sociopolitical agendas due to ideological beliefs, often targeting cyberspace itself as a means to achieve social change, this thesis argues that a distinct new era of hacktivism has emerged. This Telegram-based Russian hacktivism is characterized by centralized, openly malicious collectives operating through Telegram, combining geopolitical motives with financial incentives and media-driven strategies. The thesis employs a mixed-methods research design consisting of a qualitative and quantitative analysis. The qualitative exploration of the phenomenon reveals that post-2022 Russian hacktivist groups operate in a reactive and opportunistic manner, frequently targeting civilian infrastructure with low-sophistication attacks such as DDoS, while seeking visibility and legitimacy through public announcements and propaganda. The quantitative component evaluates the relationship between media coverage and attack frequency using two original datasets: over 20,000 claimed cyberattacks and more than 5,500 media articles across 16 EU countries. The findings show a generally positive but inconsistent correlation between media visibility and cyberattacks, with clear evidence in some cases (e.g., Germany, Slovenia) that media attention precedes increased targeting. However, other cases suggest that strategic or geopolitical relevance may override visibility as the primary driver of attacks.