Ukrainian intelligence's hackers launch major cyberattack on Russian internet providers

Illustrative photo (Getty Images)

In late May, hackers from the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR) performed a large-scale DDoS attack on Russian internet providers. The providers complained that the attack was the "most powerful in history," report the sources of the RBC-Ukraine in the special services.

First cyberattack

During the attack at the end of May, at least 250,000 subscribers in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, primarily in Crimea, were left without connection.

According to the CEO of one of the Russian operators, it took providers at least 16 hours to partially restore communication. However, most subscribers remained without connection for over two days.

Overall, the attack affected both user networks and operator networks using the affected infrastructure.

Representatives of the providers also mentioned difficulties in communicating with subscribers during the restoration of service. Users were reluctant to provide their current information to operators, fearing fraudsters. In particular, 20% refused to upgrade their network equipment, which could protect them from future attacks.

One of the most affected providers was Miranda-media. Its clients had no connection and could not make payments for services due to damage to the billing system. Network access was restricted in Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

The provider Farline suffered particularly in Crimea.

Cyberattacks continued

According to the sources, the cyberattacks continued in June, targeting:

・Miranda-media;

・servers of propaganda media;

・servers of local authorities of the occupying regime;

・call-centers;

・registration and traffic control systems on the Crimean Bridge;

・resources and network infrastructure of airports;

・payment systems.

This, in turn, led to the shutdown of cash registers in several cities in Crimea, flight delays, and significant traffic jams on the Crimean Bridge.

Other operations by GUR

Hackers of the GUR regularly target popular Russian resources, payment systems, or state enterprises. For example:

・in March, correspondence between the head of Russia's parliament and Vladimir Putin was intercepted. The latter proposed strengthening control in the country and confronting Western countries after the elections.

・recently, several companies in Russia supporting the war efforts were also attacked.