Kursk region hit by cyberattack amid Ukrainian counter-incursion 

The Kursk region of Russia was hit with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Thursday, coinciding with a counter-incursion by Ukrainian forces.

Regional officials confirmed the “massive” cyberattack in a statement, with state media reporting that government and business websites, as well as key infrastructure services, were temporarily disrupted.

Internet monitoring service NetBlocks corroborated the reports, stating that their data showed “sporadic...

9 August 2024 | Networks

Nordic satellites targeted by Russia after Sweden’s NATO accession

Swedish authorities have accused Russia of deliberately targeting the country's satellite networks with "harmful interference" shortly after Sweden's accession to NATO earlier this year.

This information comes from a previously unreported letter dated June 4, sent by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations agency based in Geneva.

The PTS has requested that the ITU's radio regulations board address...

21 June 2024 | Hot Topics

French government cyber crisis teams ‘useless’ against DDoS

Several French government websites and networks have been crippled by an intense and ongoing series of cyberattacks over the past day, with pro-Russian hacker group Anonymous Sudan mocking the government's cyber defense capabilities as "useless" against the onslaught.

The French prime minister's office confirmed the disruptive attacks on Monday, stating that "since [Sunday], several government departments have been the subject of cyberattacks whose technical methods are...

12 March 2024 | Security

SpaceX probed over Russia’s alleged Starlink use

Democratic lawmakers are investigating SpaceX over reports that Russia is using the company's Starlink satellite internet service in occupied areas of Ukraine, raising concerns about potential violations of US sanctions and export controls.

In a letter sent Wednesday to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California cited intelligence from Ukraine indicating Russian forces have illegally deployed and activated Starlink terminals in...

8 March 2024 | Networks

UK accuses Russia of sustained hacking campaign

The UK Government has accused Russia's Security Service, the FSB, of orchestrating a sustained cyber-hacking campaign targeted at politicians and public figures.

The group – identified as FSB Centre 18 – is alleged to have stolen and disseminated sensitive data through cyber-attacks, including materials related to the 2019 election.

Despite Russia's persistent denials, Foreign Secretary David Cameron condemned the group's actions as "completely...

7 December 2023 | Legislation & Government

Russian hackers attack UK airports’ websites

UK airports have become the latest target of cyberattacks, with claims of hacking attempts by pro-Kremlin groups.

On Wednesday afternoon, London City Airport's website experienced downtime which coincided with an apparent claim of a hack by a pro-Kremlin group called UserSec.

Shortly afterwards, another group – Anonymous Russia – claimed to have launched a similar attack on Birmingham Airport's website. However, the website remained operational at the...

20 July 2023 | Security

Hackers force Russian military satellite operator offline

A group of unidentified hackers has taken credit for targeting prominent Russian satellite communications operator Dozor-Teleport.

The network disruption caused by the cyberattack impacted critical services utilised by energy companies, as well as the country's defense and security services.

The attack was perpetrated by an organisation claiming to be affiliated with the Wagner Group, a group of mercenaries financed by the Russian military that staged a coup last month...

3 July 2023 | Networks

Russia-linked hackers seek to ‘disrupt or destroy’ UK infrastructure

UK Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden has warned that Russia-aligned hackers are seeking to disrupt or destroy Britain's critical infrastructure.

In a speech at the CyberUK conference in Belfast, Dowden unveiled new measures to support businesses "on the front line of our cyber defences" and described the hackers as "Wagner-like," a reference to the Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine that have been repeatedly accused of war crimes.

The National Cyber Security...

19 April 2023 | Legislation & Government

Russian hackers disrupt NATO comms used for earthquake relief

Russian hacking group Killnet has claimed responsibility for disrupting communications between NATO and other organisations providing earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria.

The devastating earthquake has claimed at least 28,000 lives and efforts continue to pull victims from the rubble. Countries and NGOs worldwide dispatched resources to provide humanitarian aid, including aircraft with transport and airlift capabilities.

Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) is a...

13 February 2023 | Networks

Russian and Iranian hackers increase spear-phishing attacks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – has warned that hackers based in Russia and Iran are conducting increased spear-phishing attacks.

Spear-phishing involves sending a malicious electronic communication to get someone to download malware or hand over sensitive information.

The attacks are often highly targeted to make it appear like the communication is from a loved one, friend, colleague, or business that the target knows and...

27 January 2023 | Security