Russian state broadcaster VGTRK suffered a massive cyberattack on Monday, disrupting its online broadcasting and internal services, including major TV channels like Russia-1 and Russia-24. Ukrainian-linked hacking groups claimed responsibility for the attack, which coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 72nd birthday.
The pro-Ukrainian group “sudo rm-RF” and another group called “BO Team” both posted messages online taking credit for the attacks. VGTRK, which controls Russia’s main state media outlets, described the cyber assault as “unprecedented” but said there was no significant damage to its operations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the attack on what he called a “critical infrastructure facility.”
State holding company VGTRK has been subjected to an ‘unprecedented’ hacker attack – online broadcasting and internal services are not working
‘Even the internet and telephony are down. I heard that they wiped everything from the servers, including backups. They have been… pic.twitter.com/duWkaD4q1P
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 7, 2024
The same day, Russia’s court system was also hit by a cyberattack, targeting its centralized system, GAS Pravosudie, which remained down for most of Monday. While the court system’s attack received less attention, analysts warned of its potential serious implications.
Though Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility, a Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the attacks were a coordinated effort to disrupt Russian operations as part of Ukraine’s ongoing defense against Russia’s invasion.
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