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Fake nuclear threat alert sent to Ukrainians after emergency app hacked

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The compromised Ukrainian software, which normally alerts citizens to incoming missile and drone strikes, was briefly taken offline after sending fabricated warnings about radiation, chemical hazards, and civil unrest in Kyiv. Shortly afterward, a separate digital intrusion pushed false emergency notifications across 33 regions in Russia through its emergency ministry's application. Ukrainian officials confirmed the incident did not compromise ongoing defense activities, while Russian authorities claimed to have located the software vulnerability responsible for their own breach. These dual attacks coincided with the expiration of a limited humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine's southern Khers…

Key points

  • Ukrainian military officials confirmed that the temporary compromise of the emergency app…: Ukrainian military officials confirmed that the temporary compromise of the emergency application did not undermine national defense or security operations.
  • Russian emergency officials identified the system vulnerability exploited in the breach a…: Russian emergency officials identified the system vulnerability exploited in the breach and initiated efforts to safeguard the application from future cyberattacks.
  • The dual cyberattacks occurred as a localized humanitarian ceasefire in the southern Kher…: The dual cyberattacks occurred as a localized humanitarian ceasefire in the southern Kherson region expired following several days of aid operations.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Residents of Ukraine and Russia received fake emergency warnings through government-run mobile apps after the systems were hacked, authorities in both countries said. In Ukraine, some messages falsely warned of an imminent nuclear threat, while others claimed there were high radiation levels, a chemical danger and public disturbances in Kyiv.

The attacks took place late Sunday in Ukraine and early Monday in Russia. It was not immediately clear whether they were connected. Ukraine temporarily suspended its app, which residents use to receive warnings about Russian missile and drone strikes, but said it was back online. Russia’s emergency situations ministry said efforts to restore its app were continuing.

In Ukraine, the fake alerts appeared in English, Russian and Ukrainian, with spelling and grammatical errors in the English-language messages. One Russian-language notification warned: “There will be a nuclear threat across Ukraine. Do not worry, the Oreshnik is incoming,” referring to a Russian ballistic missile.

A Russian Telegram channel linked to the country’s security services said hacking group Hitcore had claimed responsibility for the breach of Ukraine’s system. Though the claim has not…

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