Russia, Ukraine Report Cyberattacks on Emergency Alert Apps After Truce Ends
(MENAFN) Russia and Ukraine have reported cyberattacks targeting their respective emergency warning applications following the expiration of a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky on Sunday.
The first reports emerged from Kyiv late Sunday, when Ukraine's Air Force warned that its public air raid alert application had “likely been compromised” by Russia.
“There is no radiation threat,” the statement said, addressing one of the alerts that had warned users about a potential radiation incident in Kyiv. Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications subsequently accused Russia of hacking the application.
In a statement published on X, the center said the appearance of unusual notifications pointed to unauthorized interference, highlighting that one of the messages had been issued in Russian.
Ukraine's air raid alert channel also reported that “unauthorized parties” had interfered with the application's operation, prompting its temporary suspension.
“Our team is implementing additional security measures to protect the app and prevent similar incidents in the future,” it added.
Several hours later, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry announced that its own mobile application had experienced a “massive” cyberattack, allowing attackers to circulate fabricated information among users.
On Monday afternoon, the ministry said the incident had led to false alerts being distributed at approximately 2:45 a.m. Moscow time (2345 GMT Sunday) across 33 Russian constituent entities.
Technical specialists examined the incident, identified security vulnerabilities and submitted their findings to the National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents, the ministry said.
“Necessary measures are being taken to prevent future incidents and to restore the full, standard operation of the services,” it added.
Neither side has identified those responsible for the reported cyberattacks, and no group has publicly claimed responsibility for either incident.
The digital disruptions followed the conclusion of a six-day localized ceasefire in Oleshky, located in Ukraine's southern Kherson region and under Russian control. The truce, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, expired at 2100 GMT on Nov. 1.
The first reports emerged from Kyiv late Sunday, when Ukraine's Air Force warned that its public air raid alert application had “likely been compromised” by Russia.
“There is no radiation threat,” the statement said, addressing one of the alerts that had warned users about a potential radiation incident in Kyiv. Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications subsequently accused Russia of hacking the application.
In a statement published on X, the center said the appearance of unusual notifications pointed to unauthorized interference, highlighting that one of the messages had been issued in Russian.
Ukraine's air raid alert channel also reported that “unauthorized parties” had interfered with the application's operation, prompting its temporary suspension.
“Our team is implementing additional security measures to protect the app and prevent similar incidents in the future,” it added.
Several hours later, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry announced that its own mobile application had experienced a “massive” cyberattack, allowing attackers to circulate fabricated information among users.
On Monday afternoon, the ministry said the incident had led to false alerts being distributed at approximately 2:45 a.m. Moscow time (2345 GMT Sunday) across 33 Russian constituent entities.
Technical specialists examined the incident, identified security vulnerabilities and submitted their findings to the National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents, the ministry said.
“Necessary measures are being taken to prevent future incidents and to restore the full, standard operation of the services,” it added.
Neither side has identified those responsible for the reported cyberattacks, and no group has publicly claimed responsibility for either incident.
The digital disruptions followed the conclusion of a six-day localized ceasefire in Oleshky, located in Ukraine's southern Kherson region and under Russian control. The truce, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, expired at 2100 GMT on Nov. 1.
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