Ukrainian cyber attack leaves part of Moscow without internet and television

A Ukrainian hacker group, possibly with support from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), successfully breached the internet provider "M9kom" in Moscow, causing a shutdown of its servers. 

As a result, parts of the Russian capital were left without internet and TV, Rubryka reports, citing RBC-Ukraine.

Sources revealed to the Ukrainian publication that approximately 20 TB of data were deleted, including the company's official website, websites of its subsidiaries, mail server, cybersecurity services, and more.

"A portion of Moscow residents lost access to the internet and TV," said the sources.

Hackers also extracted over 10 GB of data from the company's mail server and client databases, making them available for public investigation. The information can be accessed via the provided link.

According to sources, "M9kom" was a training target for the hackers, and a more significant operation is anticipated as retaliation for the cyber attack on the Ukrainian mobile provider "Kyivstar."

The attack isn't the first instance of retaliation. In December, Rubryka reported that Ukrainian hackers, likely with the support of the Security Service, sought revenge for a cyber attack on "Kyivstar" and destroyed the IT infrastructure of the Russian company "Rosvodokanal." The company provided water supply to 7 million consumers.

Ukrainian IT Army

According to the organization's website, the IT Army of Ukraine is a community of IT professionals worldwide who joined forces after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They claim to be the most powerful community in Ukraine, capable of handling over 800 targets simultaneously. Experts of varying levels have created and continue to develop automated systems for attacking the information resources and services of the aggressor country.

Cyber Attacks on Russian Sites

Since the onset of the full-scale war, Ukrainian IT forces have targeted the websites of major Russian banks and state institutions. Websites of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Roskomnadzor, and Rosaviatsiya have experienced disruptions. Large state-owned (propagandist) media outlets have also ceased operations due to hacker attacks.

The Ukrainian IT Army recently paralyzed the operation of the Russian enterprise management system 1C-Rarus.

It was also reported that the Ukrainian IT Army breached the Russian cloud service "Bitrix24," used by major sponsors of Russia's war against Ukraine, including the corporation "Rosneft." Service disruptions occurred in several Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Krasnodar, and the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

Cyber units of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence successfully attacked the Russian tax system, destroying the entire database and its backups, making it impossible for Russia to fully revive its institution.

In December, the Ukrainian IT Army delivered a "New Year's cyber gift to Russians" by disrupting the operation of payment terminals in the Russian Federation.