War in Ukraine: This is how Russian cyberattacks could affect you

On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that Russia is considering the possibility of launching cyberattacks. He said there is 'evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks.'

Cyberattacks are 'coming'

Biden was addressing the Business Roundtable, an association of some of the U.S.’ largest corporations. He said:

The magnitude of Russia's cyber capacity is fairly consequential. And it's coming.

Mr Biden said the potential ‘malicious cyber activity’ could be a way for Moscow to retaliate against the ‘unprecedented economic costs’ caused by economic sanctions imposed by the West following Russia’s invasion.

The warning comes just days after reports of a hack by unidentified actors directed at telecommunications firm Viasat.

As reported by Reuters, Western intelligence agencies have been investigating the attack which disrupted broadband satellite internet access provided by U.S. telecommunications firm Viasat.

Following the hack, Britain and the United States warned organisations of the risks associated with using satellite communications.

Potential targets of cyberattacks include the financial sector, banking systems, electrical grids, oil and energy companies, water treatment plants, mobile networks, and hospitals.

Prepare for the possibility

The founding director of Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan, Stuart Madnick, told ABC News that people shouldn't panic. There is not much individuals can do to stop a cyberattack on the country's infrastructure systems, but they should always prepare for the possibility.

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Biden said that the administration would 'continue to use every tool to deter, disrupt, and if necessary, respond to cyber attacks against critical infrastructure,' but recognised that 'the federal government can't defend against this threat alone.'

The White House last week briefed over 100 U.S. businesses on the most effective ways to defend against a cyberattack. On Monday, the administration urged companies to 'harden your cyber defenses immediately,' advising measures such as enabling multifactor authentication, backing up data offline, and educating employees on hacking methods.

Mr Biden called for US businesses to 'accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors.' He said:

You have the power, the capacity, and the responsibility to strengthen the cybersecurity and resilience of the critical services and technologies on which Americans rely. We need everyone to do their part.

How individuals can stay safe

For individuals, Madnick has recommended backing up important computer files frequently and to offline sources such as an external hard drive.

He also advises keeping computer software up-to-date,updating anti-virus and malware software, and not clicking on any suspicious e-mails and links.