Russia may be on the verge of disconnecting form the global internet and separating itself from the rest of the world in order to defend against external cyberattacks.
A Russian government document doing the rounds that has led some to suggest the country is preparing to disconnect from the global internet.
The decision has led others to believe he may be planning on launching his own against Western nations including the U.S.
At the same time, the World Economic Forum removed Cyber Polygon from its website, which describes a large-scale cyber attack that essentially sends the entire world back to the 1800s before electricity and modern modes of communication.
An unverified tweet is making waves, claiming the country will pull out of the international online community on March 11
It said all servers and domains must be transferred to the #Russian zone. In addition, detailed data on the network infrastructure of the sites is being collected.
Only websites and servers in the Russian zone will be accessible to those in Russia.”
Nexta, a Belarus-based news outlet, made the claim, suggesting that any companies wishing to maintain an online presence there will need to switch to national servers.
‘Russia began active preparations for disconnection from the global Internet,’ the tweet reads.
A report by the Russian newspaper Kommersant appears to contradict the claim, saying the Ministry of Digital Development has denied a government move to block Russian access to the internet.
While President Vladimir Putin could have called to block Russia from the web, it may not come to pass.
“The ‘order’ is now only limited to the government websites and has been taken to prepare the country’s internet infrastructure against any external disconnection and cyber threats said,” Kommersant
Whether or not this claimed March 11 announcement is true, it is well known in tech circles that Russia has been working on its own domestic internet for several years now.
While many people think this is a good idea they are not thinking about the second and third order effects this may have.
There is possibility of this being point of no return, at least for future for years to come, we’re going to become isolated from the largest nuclear weapon state from the rest of the world, what could go wrong?
Another unverified Twitter handle with the user name “Black Swan” also posted reports of the disconnection.
‘All companies in Russia are required to get on a ‘.ru. address and Russian domestic server. Business have 5 days to comply. Cyber attacks on US inbound…’
BREAKING: RUSSIA WILL DISCONNECT FROM EXTERNAL INTERNET STARTING MARCH 11. ALL COMPANIES IN RUSSIA ARE REQUIRED TO GET ON A “.RU” ADDRESS AND RUSSIAN DOMESTIC SERVER. BUSINESS HAVE 5 DAYS TO COMPLY. Cyber attacks on US inbound…
— Black Swan (@RetirementRight) March 7, 2022- In 2018, the country introduced the Digital Economy National Program which aims to protect the country’s online infrastructure even though other countries have been able to cut it off
- In March 2019, Russia conducted tests in which it electronically disconnected from the rest of the world but kept internet access for its citizens
- In late 2019, Russia adopted legislation, known as the “Sovereign Internet Law“, which aims to prevent the country from being cut off from foreign infrastructure, in response to what Russia has called the “nature aggressive” of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy. .
Should we internalise the internet?
The only reason to fully internalise Internet operations is to significantly reduce or even eliminate the opportunities for cyberattacks that are likely to arise in response to the disruption of internetwork in the West
Can the world survive without the Internet at this moment?
Maybe. But the disturbances in our lives will be incredibly significant and may even lead to the collapse of some societies.
