CXO Tech Magazine: “Ukraine’s Battle against Russian Cyber Aggression”
In the first week of January 2024, hackers allegedly linked to the Ukrainian secret services (SBU) attacked the systems of M9 Telecom, a Moscow-based internet and TV provider. According to available sources, the hackers deleted a staggering 20 terabytes of data from the Russian company, causing internet outages for some Moscow neighborhoods.
A few days later, the same group (known as “Blackjack”) successfully breached a Russian state enterprise handling a series of military construction projects. According to Newsweek, they gained access to and subsequently deleted over 1.2 terabytes of classified information, including maps of more than 500 Russian military bases, air-defense installations, and weapons arsenals.
Referring to a source close to the operation, London-based journalist James Pearson, cybersecurity correspondent for Reuters, wrote that this appears to be a calibrated retaliation for a significant Russian cyberattack on Ukraine.
In December 2023, Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile network operator, faced a sophisticated cyberattack orchestrated by Russian hackers. The invasive attack was one of the most significant cyber incidents since Vladimir Putin’s military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, paralyzing the mobile company and revealing a disturbing fact: The hackers had covertly infiltrated the company’s systems months before unleashing their destructive assault.
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By Carlos G. Sháněl, Director, Center for Cybersecurity Studies, Casla Institute
