A Ukrainian resistance group known as ATESH has reportedly claimed responsibility for hacking Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry app and sending fake nuclear threat alerts to residents across Russia.
The group, believed to be active in Russian-held areas of Ukraine and inside Russia itself, distributed the false warnings during the night following what is thought to be Russian cyber interference with Ukraine's "Air Raid Alert" system, according to UNN.
Fake Nuclear Alert Sent to Voronezh Oblast
An image circulating on social media displays a notification for people living in Voronezh Oblast, timestamped November 2 at 2.47am. It purportedly declares the firing of nuclear missiles targeting every Russian region.
Citizens are told to gather three weeks' worth of provisions and seek shelter in cellars, with a stark warning 'otherwise you're f*****'. Russian news outlets and regional officials subsequently verified that the Emergency Ministry's platforms had been compromised.
While there has been no independent verification of the cyber attack, ATESH has taken responsibility for breaching the Russian application.
Ukraine's Air Raid Alert App Also Targeted
Just hours before, on the night of November 1, people using Ukraine's "Air Raid Alert" app began getting fake alerts about nuclear, radiation and chemical hazards, plus warnings of urban combat.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed these notifications were false. The Kyiv City State Administration provided reassurance that no radiation danger existed in the capital, and that both the "Kyiv Digital" app and the city's warning infrastructure were functioning properly.
Unauthorised interference with the service has been identified as one of the potential causes behind the incident.
Russia's Cyber Threat to the UK Economy
Russia has repeatedly deployed cyber-attacks as a tactic for meddling with nations. The Mirror reveals that Russian cyber-attacks carry a 10% risk of inflicting at least £4 billion worth of damage on the UK economy annually.
A cyber risk evaluation of the UK economy suggested Vladimir Putin's Russia is responsible for up to 80% of all losses stemming from state-sponsored cyber threats, with just one successful assault potentially costing every Brit £100.
The assessment was carried out by Moody's insurers on behalf of Labour MP Graeme Downie, who cautioned that Brits were effectively paying a "hidden Putin tax" due to Russia's hostile actions.
Demanding a robust response, he stated: "A single Russia-linked cyberattack could cost the UK more than £4 billion. That's based on a serious but realistic attack, the sort with roughly a one-in-ten chance of happening in any given year."
