One of the largest providers in Siberia was cyber-attacked by the GUR: it suffered millions in losses – source

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense has carried out a cyberattack against one of the largest Siberian Internet providers, Orion Telecom. This was reported by a source in the Ukrainian intelligence LIGA.net.

According to him, the Russian provider suffered more than 66 million rubles in losses, which is $835,000 at the official exchange rate.

According to a source in the DIU, this became known from a statement to the Russian police filed by the provider following a special operation by Ukrainian intelligence.

The attacked provider acknowledged the leakage of users' personal data as a result of the operation and its own losses. In this regard, Orion Telecom is asking the Russian police to open a case.

In addition, according to Russian law, the provider may also have to pay a hefty fine for the data leak – up to 15 million rubles (almost $190,000).

The source recalled that the GUR's cyber specialists attacked Orion Telecom's infrastructure back in the summer on the so-called Russia Day, and the provider's work was paralyzed that day.

In particular, a closed town specializing in uranium mining was left without communication. "Orion Telecom was the only provider there. On the same morning, local publics in Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Bratsk and Abakan were full of complaints from disgruntled Russians who reported the absence of Internet and television.

The source emphasized that the provider's networks were actively used by Russian security forces to carry out aggression against Ukraine.

• DIU specialists regularly carry out cyberattacks against Russia. In particular, on September 25, they paralyzed the work of the Russian payment system and provider TransTeleCom.
• Earlier, it was reported that the GUR had hacked the servers of Russians in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The documents obtained include data on the deportation of children and correspondence on fuel shortages.