Hackers linked to Ukraine’s main spy agency broke into the computer systems of a Moscow-based internet provider in retaliation for a Russian cyberattack on Ukrainian telecoms giant Kyivstar, a source with direct knowledge of the operation told Reuters on Tuesday .
The hacker group, nicknamed “Blackjack”, was previously linked to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Hackers deleted 20 terabytes of data from M9 Telecom, a small Russian internet and television provider, leaving some Moscow residents without internet, the source said.
The digital intrusion was preparation for a larger cyberattack that would be “a big revenge for Kyivstar”, the source said, citing the hackers, without confirming when the attack occurred.
M9 Telecom did not respond to an emailed request for comment. The company’s website was still online Tuesday, although the hacking group said it had been destroyed.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the extent to which the hack was successful. Contacted by phone, M9 Telecom CEO Andrey Pavolvsky declined to comment.
Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile network operator, was taken offline by Russian spies last month in what appeared to be the biggest cyberattack since Moscow launched war against the country in February 2022.
Russian hackers had been inside Kyivstar’s systems for months before the attack, Ukrainian cyber espionage chief Illia Vitiuk told Reuters last week. The attack caused “disastrous” damage to the company, he added.
Source: Terra
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