Hackers of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) carried out on Aug. 24 a mass cyberattack on the servers of Russian Internet providers and blocked "dozens" of online platforms of industrial facilities in Russia, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.
The recent attack affected at least 33 servers and 283 office computers at industrial facilities, took down 21 websites, and destroyed 15 cloud and file storages. Ukrainian hackers also left pro-Ukrainian messages on the affected online platforms, according to the source.
Russian users were complaining about malfunctions of Rostelecom, a digital service provider, and unstable Internet connection at MTC and Beeline mobile operators, as well as at Yandex, a multinational technology company, and its services.
Russian platforms that suffered cyberattacks support and finance Russia's war against Ukraine, the source added.
Dozens of services belonging to industrial facilities that support the Russian military-industrial complex were also attacked.
Ukrainian hackers targeted the network infrastructure of factories and companies that produce equipment for Russian law enforcement agencies, aircraft and helicopter components, as well as supply hardware and software, servers, and processors, among other products.
The cloud and file storages of Russian Internet providers, including Mail.ru, one of the most visited Russian Internet portals, were under attack. At least two dozen websites of companies that manufacture lighting equipment, diesel power plants, hosting providers, and ballistic protection products were also affected, according to the source.
Ukrainian hackers have been attacking Russian online platforms on a regular basis since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
A large-scale cyberattack in late June left at least 250,000 consumers in occupied Crimea and other Russian-controlled territories without communication, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.
The June attack reportedly affected both the networks of consumers and operators that used the impacted infrastructure on Russian-occupied territories. Representatives of Russian providers called it "the most powerful DDoS attack they have ever experienced," the HUR said.
In July, Ukraine's military intelligence agency carried out a cyberattack against the Russian banking system, targeting several top banks. As a result, Russian bank users were unable to withdraw cash, and when they tried to use an ATM, their debit and credit cards were immediately blocked.
Abbey Fenbert
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