Subj : Ukraine's largest mobile network goes down after massive cyberatt
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Wed Dec 13 2023 18:15:05

Ukraine's largest mobile network goes down after massive cyberattack

Date:
Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:01:15 +0000

Description:
Kyivstar suffers devastating cyberattack, leaving many without internet

FULL STORY
======================================================================

A cyberattack has taken down Ukraines largest telecom operator, Kyivstar, 
with millions now unable to access the internet or make calls. 

The attack so far appears to be an act of sabotage, as the telecom company 
posted an alert on social media stating that customer data had not been 
compromised, indicating the attack was not ransomware related. 

The telecom network was shut down by security services in an attempt to 
localize the attack, and the company stated that it is working to 
re-establish the network. SIM switching increasing network loads 

Rather than waiting for Kyivstar to restore the network, many Ukrainians 
instead bought new SIM cards from other network providers such as Vodafone 
and Lifecell. However, the sudden increase in new devices operating on these 
networks caused some Lifecell services to go down, and Vodafone reported that 
its network usage had increased by 30%. 

A number of other services, such as banking and payment processing, also went 
down as a result of the attack as many payment devices such as ATMs use a SIM 
card for connectivity. Kyivstar commented on the outages stating that the 
disruption caused is not massive. 

There is currently no indication of who was behind the attack, however 
Ukraine has suffered an increasing number of cyber attacks from 
Russian-speaking cyber gangs since Russias annexation of Crimea and 
subsequent invasion. Speaking to Ukrainian media, Ukraines security service, 
known as the SBU, stated that they suspect Russian intelligence services were 
behind the attack. 

Hacktivists on both sides of the war have claimed responsibility for a number 
of cyber attacks on both Ukrainian and Russian networks and energy 
infrastructure. Russian-speaking cyber groups have also increased attacks 
against nations supplying aid to Ukraine in an attempt to disrupt supplies 
and increase the cost of supporting Ukraine. 

The attack also brought down a number of mobile missile warning systems, 
leaving around 75 settlements around Kyiv without early warning of missile 
strikes. 

Via TheRecord More from TechRadar Pro Here is our guide to the best malware 
removal software Military geographic data is being stolen in data breaches, 
China warns UK could be held to ransom by catastrophic cyberattacks



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/ukraines-largest-mobile-network-goes-down-after-
massive-cyberattack


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
 * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)

.