"Internet Apocalypse": Russia's digital infrastructure "crumbling" after HUR cyber strike – source
Cyber experts from the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of Ukraine continue a large-scale attack on Russian digital infrastructure involved in supporting Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, as was reported to LIGA.net by a source in the special services.
On the third day of the operation, new banks and payment services, social networks, messengers, and entertainment resources were added to the list of targets.
On July 25, intelligence attacked the Russian social network VK, Discord messenger, the SBP quick payment system, the National Payment Card System NSPK, and the movie and video viewing website Lampa.
On the first day, the largest Russian banking institutions were under attack, including Alfa Bank, Sberbank, Raiffeisen Bank, VTB Bank, RSHB Bank, Rosbank, Gazprombank, and T-Bank, according to the source,
On the second day of the attack, Promsvyazbank and Pochta Bank were attacked, and Avito, a Russian internet service for posting ads for goods, real estate, resumes, and vacancies, he said.
The source noted that some financial institutions, particularly Alfa Bank, initially denied that the malfunction was related to external interference. However, other banks, including VTB, admitted they were trying to cope with a "large-scale DDoS attack planned from abroad" and overcome its consequences.
He said that the online services of financial institutions in Russia have been either completely non-functional or working unstably and with errors for three days, preventing customers from accessing personal accounts, paying for services, paying for public transport, or making any other financial transactions.
The situation is complicated by the unstable operation of internet providers, including Beeline, Megafon, MTS, Tele2, and Rostelecom – they are also under attack by Ukrainian cyber experts, the source added.
Read also: Intelligence "hacks" Russia's banking system: Sberbank, Raiffeisen, Alfa Bank down – source