Cyber offensive: Ukrainian hackers take down Russian state media
Ukrainian hackers attacked the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (WGTRK) and blocked the online broadcast of more than 20 propaganda television stations, including Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24, as reported by a source from the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Monday.
According to the informant, not only are the online broadcasts of these television channels unavailable, but television in Russia is not functioning either. It was reported that the data on WGTRK servers, including their backups, have been destroyed. Online transmission and internal services are not working. Additionally, the company's headquarters are experiencing difficulties with internet and phone access.
Ukrainian cyberattack on Russian state broadcaster
An anonymous pro-Ukrainian hacker group, Sudo rm-RF, which has previously attacked targets in Russia, claimed responsibility for Monday's operation. This coincided with Vladimir Putin's birthday.
WGTRK reported that last night it was the target of an "unprecedented" cyberattack, but radio and television broadcasting were not interrupted. The attack targeted the company's internet services sector.
At the daily press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that an investigation is underway to determine who could be responsible for the attack on this "critical infrastructure facility."
- Online broadcasts and internal services are turned off. This will take a long time. I heard that the hackers wiped everything from the servers, including backups – the Gazeta.ru portal reported, citing a person familiar with the situation.
WGTRK is the largest state media holding in Russia and a main pillar of propaganda, primarily aimed at Russian audiences. Television and radio channels - including Rossiya-1 and Vesti FM - are among the most popular in the country.
