The Ukranian hacker group, Cyber Anarchy Squad, recently attacked the Russian cybersecurity firm, Avapost.
The devastating attack destroyed 60 terabytes of data for Avapost. The hackers posted on Telegram that they also stole 390 gigabytes worth of information and encrypted 405 of Avapost’s virtual machines.
After the incident, the group claimed that Avapost’s clients included the Bank of Russia, the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation, Rosselkhozbank, MTS Bank, the Moscow Department of Information Technology, and many others. It’s unknown how vital Avapost’s role was to these entity’s operations.
The attack by Cyber Anarchy Squad is just one of a series of attacks on both sides. Since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war, hacking groups on both sides have been engaged in cyber-warfare.
Since the beginning of the war, Russia has staged hundreds of cyber campaigns on Ukraine, including relentless phishing attempts and attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Recently, Russian hackers launched a series of attacks that hit the Ukrainian government. In one incident, they stole sensitive data on over 3,200 Ukranian soldiers and targeted key infrastructure such as energy companies.
Russia also revealed that stolen intelligence revealed Western mercenaries serving in the Ukranian military, however this claim has yet to be proven.
Conversely, Ukraine has ramped up its cyber attacks on Russia, to great success. Several days before this attack, Ukraine also targeted Russian banking companies, resulting in multiple banks becoming completely paralyzed.
Other groups conducted successful campaigns on Russian telecom companies and their internet infrastructure.
“We thank everyone who participated, assisted, and supported us,” explains the Ukranian Main Directory of Intelligence (HUR). “This is just the beginning of even more significant events. We advise the Russians to start preparing for the collapse of their digital infrastructure.
“It is the right time for the enemy to revisit the idea of an isolated, purely Russian ‘Cheburnet,’ complete with moats, digital guards, and firewalls around the perimeter. See you in the next chapter of this exciting story.”