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Ukraine's intelligence hack Russian Defense Ministry's servers: Photos of classified documents

Ukraine's intelligence hack Russian Defense Ministry's servers: Photos of classified documents Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Author: Maria Kholina

Hackers from Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) have launched a massive DDoS attack on the servers of the Russian Ministry of Defense, having gained access to a trove of data and documents, including classified ones, according to MDI.

"The cyber specialists of the MDI of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense executed another successful special operation against the aggressor state of Russia. As a result of the DDoS attack, access to the servers of the Russian Ministry of Defense was obtained," the statement reads.

Now, according to intelligence sources, the Ukrainian security service possesses software for information protection and encryption previously utilized by the Russian Ministry of Defense, along with a cache of secret service documentation from the Russian ministry.

"This includes orders, reports, directives, briefings, and other documents circulating among over 2000 structural units of the Russian enforcement agency. The obtained information allows for establishing the complete structure of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its branches," the department adds.

Analysis of the acquired data helped identify top brass, other high-ranking officials of the structural units of the Russian Ministry of Defense, as well as deputies, assistants, specialists, everyone who utilized the software for electronic document flow called "Bureaucrat."

"For instance, the MDI of Ukraine acquired the official documentation of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Timur Ivanov. This deputy to Shoigu played a crucial role in making the cyberattack successful," revealed the MDI.

Not the first attack

Recently, Ukrainian hackers targeted Russia's largest internet portal, Mail.ru, with some users losing access to their accounts. Moreover, in December 2023, Ukrainian hackers disrupted the operation of one of the largest ERP systems, 1C-Rarus, used for accounting services.

Ukraine's IT army commenced its operations on the third day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During this time, hackers have targeted over 4,000 resources of the occupying country.