SBU and FBI expose Russian special services hacking messengers of officials in Ukraine, EU and US
Kyiv • UNN
Cybersecurity specialists of the SBU, together with the FBI, have uncovered systematic cyberattacks by Russian special services on messengers of officials in Ukraine, Europe and the US. The goal of the attacks was to gain access to sensitive military, political and economic information.
Cybersecurity specialists of the SBU, together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America, have exposed Russian special services in systematic attempts to "hack" the messengers of officials in Ukraine, Europe, and the United States. This is reported by UNN with reference to the press center of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Details
This refers to systematic cyberattacks on the messengers of officials, military personnel, politicians, and activists. As noted by the SBU, the goal of these "hacks" was to gain access to sensitive information of a military, political, and economic nature that users exchanged, as well as to steal their personal data.
To obtain this information, Russian hackers have used and continue to use various tools and methods.
For example, to lure out account passwords, the enemy most often uses SMS distribution on behalf of "support teams." Such actions are disguised as the work of official bots, and the messages themselves arrive in the morning hours when the user is extremely vulnerable due to their physical and emotional state
The Security Service also emphasized: Russian special services and hackers associated with them attack not only organizations, officials, or public figures, but also the personal accounts of Ukrainians.
The SBU also called on citizens to take care of their own cybersecurity and follow basic rules of cyber hygiene:
- you should regularly check your active sessions in the messenger and terminate all unknown connections;
- enable two-factor authentication and use a complex alphanumeric PIN code;
- do not share confirmation codes, PIN codes, passwords, or account recovery keys with anyone;
- do not click on suspicious links, even if they came from acquaintances. Their account may already be hacked;
- do not open files from unknown or suspicious chats, especially if the user is asked to do so from a computer;
- do not scan QR codes that came from unknown bots or users. Through them, attackers can connect their device to the account.