Who is behind the attack on Kyivstar and what does it all mean?
Kyivstar has already resumed operations and restored connectivity to millions of subscribers, but is the problem really completely resolved? Find out why it happened, who attacked the mobile operator, what it means, and what threats it poses
In the evening of December 13, Kyivstar began to gradually restore communications across Ukraine, and customers can now make calls and use the mobile Internet. As explained by the Security Service of Ukraine, Kyivstar's digital infrastructure was critically damaged, and therefore restoration in compliance with all security protocols took some time. At the same time, the mobile operator noted that despite the serious attack and huge losses, subscribers' personal data remained safe and there was no information leakage.
However, whether the problem has been finally resolved and whether this case poses any additional threats - we will analyze further in the article.
Who is responsible for the hacker attack on Kyivstar?
According to the SBU press service, one of the russian pseudo-hacker groups, Solntsepek, claimed responsibility for the attack on the mobile operator's digital infrastructure. The group is a subdivision of the General Staff of the russian Armed Forces. However, there has been no official comment from the russian authorities on the hacker attack.
At the same time, Kyivstar denied the information about the destruction of computers and services, which was emphasized by russian hackers in the message.
"We have all seen these screenshots from telegram channels. However, they show randomly collected technological data that does not belong to the personal data of our subscribers," Kyivstar said, and advised to follow only official information from the company itself, promising "good news" soon.
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What is the danger of a hacker attack on Kyivstar?
The fact is that the destruction of communications is one of the strategic goals of any war. This strategy was used 200 years ago, and it remains relevant today. For example, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, russia had already tried to attack Ukraine's communication networks and banking systems, and Ukraine managed to maintain stable operations, but the attack on the largest mobile operator proved that the country remains in danger.
The biggest problem is that mobile communication affects not only the ability of Ukrainians to reach their relatives, but also the operation of banks, POS terminals, security systems, hotlines, post offices, and even air raid warning systems. For example, in Sumy region, there were interruptions in the operation of the alert system due to the lack of communication at Kyivstar.
Thus, the disruption of communication systems affects the entire country and the profits of thousands of companies that work for the Ukrainian economy. And now all mobile operators, Internet providers, and telecommunications companies need to be careful, because, unfortunately, russia may try to strike again.
We will withstand! We will win!
We remind you! The hacker attack led to serious consequences and a major disruption in the work of Kyivstar mobile operator, but Ukrainians did not despair even without communication. Read more about the public reaction to the technical problems and what memes have already flooded the Internet in our previous article.
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