Hackers associated with the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR) claim to be behind a cyberattack on the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
The GUR, part of the Kiev Defense Ministry, said that through a “special operation,” the servers of the Russian Defense Ministry (Minoborony) were hacked with the aim of stealing sensitive documents.
“The information received allows us to establish the full structure of system and its units,” the Ukrainian GUR claimed.
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“The analysis of the received data also helped to identify the generals, other high-ranking directors of the structural departments of the [ministry], as well as deputies, assistants, specialists – all those who used software for electronic document called bureaucrat.”.
This included some documents belonging to Russia's deputy defense minister, Timur Vadimovich Ivanov.
In addition, Ukrainian hackers managed to gain access to details about the software used by Minoborony, whilealso seeing “a number of secret service documents.”
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The attacks have not yet been officially confirmed, but if true, it would be a major blow to Russia and a significant cyber-victory for Ukraine amid the ongoing war between the two countries.
In December last year, GUR claimed to have “hacked” federal tax system Russia’s
In January this year, an attack by “volunteer patriots” hit Russia’s State Research Center for Space Hydrometeorology (Planeta). Ukraine claimed that the attack destroyed 280 servers and two petabytes of information, including “unique research.”
Such attacks can lead to the leakage of important information. This can include sensitive data, such as military strategies, weapons information, and other information that could be used against Russia.
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Furthermore, the attack by Ukrainian hackers could result in undermining public trust in the Russian Defense Ministry and the country's cybersecurity system in general. This could lead to increased pressure to strengthen security measures and review protocols.
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Of course, this incident could lead to increased geopolitical tension between Russia and Ukraine, potentially exacerbating an already tense situation. This could lead to further conflicts and confrontations in cyberspace.
Finally, the attack could impact the global cybersecurity community, as the successful breach of Russian security systems could set a precedent for further attacks and increase concern about cybersecurity globally.
Source: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
