Cyber specialists and investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine have found Russian hackers who attacked the mobile operator «Kyivstar».
They are the SandWorm hacker group was discoveredwhich is affiliated with the main intelligence directorate of the Russian General Staff (better known as GRU). After all the examinations have been conducted and suspicions have been announced, the materials of this investigation will be transferred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Aboutreported Ilya Vityuk, Head of the SBU Cyber Security Department, in an interview with «Ukrinform».
According to the head of the Cybersecurity Department, the SBU is currently conducting a series of examinations of the systems affected by hackers and the damage caused. The special service has also sent requests for additional information from international partners.
Ilya Vitiuk emphasized that within the framework of criminal proceedings, the DCIB is working with all the participants of the vertical who were involved in this attack.
«Not only a particular hacker, but also, at a minimum, the head of the military unit and the leadership of the special service that carries out destructive activities should be held accountable for their actions», the head of the DCIB is convinced.
At the same time, he emphasized that there are only three cases in the world where hackers have been served with suspicion for cyberattacks on infrastructure. And one of them was the result of the SBU.
Ilya Vitiuk also said that in general, during a full-scale war, the Security Service blocks 4.5 thousand cyberattacks annually. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense are a special priority in cyber defense, as enemy attempts to interfere with military systems occur regularly.
As a reminder, on December 12, a large-scale cyberattack on «Kyivstar» took place. There were significant problems with communication and the Internet.
After that, the head of the SBU’s cybersecurity department, Ilya Vityuk, said that Russian hackers had been in the system of «Kyivstar» at least since May 2023.
According to SBU estimates, the hackers could have stolen personal information, located phones, intercepted SMS messages, and possibly hijacked Telegram accounts. But the SBU «did not find any facts of leakage of personal data and subscriber data».