New findings from Check Point Research (CPR) have spotted a major rise in the volume of cyber-attacks aimed at NATO countries sourced from Chinese IP addresses.

CPR examined the trend before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and found that cyber-attacks on NATO countries from Chinese addresses rose 116%. Worldwide, the increase was 72%.

In addition, the number of attacks against NATO countries is 86% higher than during the first three weeks of the conflict.

However, CPR noted that it could not attribute the attacks to any known Chinese threat actor or other entity. What it does indicate is that hackers, either within China or abroad, are increasingly using Chinese IPs as a resource to launch cyber-attacks in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“The trend can have many meanings,” CPR noted in a statement. “For example, the increase can indicate where it is now easy or cheap to set up and operate a service or where it is more opportune to hide the real origin of the attack.

“It can also indicate how global cyber traffic is being routed at this moment in time. CPR will continue to dig deeper into this trending observation in the weeks ahead. For now, we’ve only information on what we see.”

The research comes amidst tensions caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has brought with it a wave of cyber-attacks as both Ukraine and Russia wage a cyber-war against one another.

While research from Atlas VPN warned that 89% of cyber-attacks worldwide are targeting Russia and Ukraine, there have been concerns that the attacks could spill over and hit other countries.

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US President Joe Biden recently warned that American intelligence has pointed to a growing likelihood that Russia may be planning a cyber-attack against the US.

He added that the move would be in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the West.

As such, Biden urged US companies to ensure their operations were secure against a potential attack.

“If you have not already done so, I urge our private sector partners to harden your cyber defences immediately by implementing the best practices we have developed together over the last year,” he said in a statement.

The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) provided similar advice in late February as the Russian invasion was beginning. While it did not cite a specific threat, it noted that Scottish businesses should ensure their cybersecurity was up to date.

Scot-Secure 2022 | Join the Conversation

Have you registered for a place at the 2022 Scot-Secure Summit? The 8th annual conference will be held live and in-person at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on 23rd March.

The programme will focus on promoting best-practice cybersecurity; looking at the current trends, key threats, and offering practical advice on improving resilience and implementing effective security measures.

To find out more and sign up for the event, click here.