Hey Russians, You’ve Been Doxxed!Although weaknesses in Russian cybersecurity are helping the Ukrainian resistance, Western democracies would do well to consider ways to shore up privacy.
By Leslie Gruis
March 10, 2022
One of World War II’s most successful female spies, Virginia Hall, was known only as “the Lady with the Limp” by her Nazi pursuers. Her anonymity permitted her to operate successfully with the Resistance in Europe for years. When the Germans started to close in, her cover protected her long enough to escape across the Pyrenees.
The derring-do of military and intelligence operatives have always relied on anonymity for success and survival. So, what does this suggest for the 120,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine whose personal data was leaked last week? What does it mean for the Russian war effort?
Firstly, none of these soldiers will be able to act anonymously anymore. The information revealed about some soldiers can establish linkages to other, previously unidentified soldiers and Russian sympathizers. Understanding their real and virtual world social networks will identify them all as enemies of Ukraine. Ukrainian sympathizers will be able to track, target, and harass soldiers in and out of uniform. Sophisticated doxxing campaigns may emerge that affect the Russian military in Ukraine and their families back home.
Second, the tactical and strategic advantages of anonymous military actors have vanished. The Ukrainian military could combine the leaked information with other social media data to track, target, and take out Russian troops. The winning of hearts and minds in the streets of Kyiv will be much harder once every known Russian asset is fingered and followed.
Third, this could affect the morale of the Russian troops. Private Pavlov may have thought his country had his back. Now he’s discovered that his homeland has allowed the enemy to paint a target on his torso.
The bottom line for the Russian war effort is that seizure of a neighboring state in the 21st century is not the cakewalk that taking Poland was for Hitler in the 20th. This well-timed leak helped ratchet up a resistance that might have left the Third Reich a mere footnote in history. The rules of the game have changed because of technology.
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Source:
https://amgreatness.com/2022/03/10/hey-russians-youve-been-doxxed/
