A notorious group of Ukrainian hackers known as the Cyber.Anarchy.Squad claimed responsibility for a recent cyberattack that effectively crippled Infotel JSC, a Russian telecom provider. The attack occurred on Thursday evening and had significant implications for the connectivity services Infotel offered to the Russian Central Bank and other banks, online stores, and credit institutions throughout the country.
According to reports from the Ukrainian news site Economichna Pravda, numerous major banks across Russia experienced severed connections to the national banking systems following the assault, rendering them unable to process online payments. Infotel, headquartered in Moscow, acknowledged the incident on its website, referring to the attack as “massive” and affirming its commitment to restoring the damaged systems.
Infotel JSC Confirms Massive Attack and Restoration Efforts
Infotel’s statement read, “We would like to inform you that due to a massive hacker attack on the network of Infotel JSC, some of the network equipment was damaged. Restoration work is currently underway. Additional deadlines for completing the work will be announced. We hope for your understanding and further cooperation.”
While specific details regarding the timeline of the attack remain undisclosed by Infotel or the perpetrators, the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA) project at Georgia Tech offers some insight. The project indicates that the Internet provider of the Central Bank of Russia experienced an outage on June 8, around 11:00 AM UTC, coinciding with the cyberattack.
IODA further confirms that Infotel’s systems were offline approximately 34 hours after the initial disruption. The Ukrainian hacktivists responsible for the attack shared information on their Telegram channel, claiming to have obliterated Infotel’s infrastructure, leaving nothing functional behind. They revealed that the company had around four hundred clients, a significant portion consisting of banks, while the remainder comprised credit institutions and car dealerships.
Proof of Attack: Cyber.Anarchy.Squad Releases Screenshots
To substantiate their claims, Cyber.Anarchy.Squad hackers released screenshots depicting their access to Infotel’s network, including a network diagram and evidence of a compromised email account. This incident reflects a recurrent pattern for the group, which has previously targeted various Russian companies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Notably, the Cyber.Anarchy.Squad gained attention last year when they leaked online databases stolen from a breached Russian retailer and a jewelry manufacturer. These databases contained millions of records, exposing sensitive information belonging to employees and customers of the affected companies, alongside internal company emails.
Investigation and Recovery Efforts Against Cyber.Anarchy.Squad
As the investigation into the attack on Infotel JSC unfolds, authorities from both Ukraine and Russia will likely intensify their efforts to identify and apprehend the members of the Cyber.Anarchy.Squad. Meanwhile, affected banks and institutions will strive to restore their online payment capabilities, working towards minimizing the disruptive consequences of the cyberattack.
