Happy birthday, Russian president: Russian state media hacked on Putin’s birthday
Ukraine claims to be behind a cyberattack on Russia’s state media company, just in time for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 72nd birthday.
The All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) told Russia’s new local agency Interfax that it suffered a cyber attack on October 7.
“On the night of October 7, VGTRK’s online services suffered an unprecedented hacker attack, but no significant damage was caused to the work of the media holding company,” the media company said, adding that there was no impact on the transmission and that “everything is fine.” operating normally, there is no significant threat.”
“The holding’s specialists are working to eliminate the consequences of this malicious intervention.”
While the site is now back up and running, Reuters noted that the VGTRK website was not loading on Monday and that online access to the 24-hour continuous news channel Rossiya-24 was not available.
“503 service not available. There is no server available to handle this request,” the site reads, according to Reuters.
The Kremlin also announced the cyberattack, but did not indicate who was behind the attack.
“Our state media holding company, one of the largest, has faced an unprecedented hacker attack on its digital infrastructure,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told media.
“Specialists are working to uncover all the circumstances and understand where the traces left by those who organized this hacker attack on the critical infrastructure object lead.”
However, a Ukrainian government source has said that kyiv hackers were behind the attack and that it was timed to coincide with Putin’s birthday.
“Ukrainian hackers ‘congratulated’ Putin on his birthday by carrying out a large-scale attack on the all-Russian state broadcasting company,” the source said. Reuters.
Russian cybersecurity company FACCT also noted that information related to the incident was posted on the official social media account of Sudo rm-RF, a pro-Ukrainian hacktivist group.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attack fits the narrative of the West’s anti-Russian efforts and that the attack would be raised with the UN and UNESCO.
“The competent authorities and departments will determine who is behind a specific attack, but we understand that when the collective West says that its goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, this includes an attack on the media,” Minister Zakharova said. Interfax.
“As for countermeasures, you fully understand that copying criminal activity is carrying it out yourself.
“But this issue will be raised in international forums, both at the United Nations and at UNESCO, which is literally obliged to pay attention to it… and this issue will also be raised in other international forums.”
