On Monday, the website of Russia’s Ministry of Construction and Utilities looked like hackers had taken over, as searches for the website led to a sign that reads “Glory to Ukraine” in the Ukrainian language. This is the latest development in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict which has been on for the past few weeks.
The country’s state news agency RIA reported late Sunday while quoting a representative from the ministry that although the website was unavailable, the personal data and information contained on the website were protected and would not fall into the hands of people looking to take advantage of the seeming hack. The state news agency also added that other media outlets had reported that the hackers were demanding a ransom otherwise they’d disclose the data of users. The RIA, however, failed to cite these media outlets.
The recent development is the most serious incident since Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24th of February. Prior to now, many Russian state-owned companies and news firms have been victims of sporadic hacking attacks. Last month, video-hosting platform RuTube went offline for about three days thanks to hackers. Also, when the country celebrated the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s Victory over Nazi Germany, satellite television menus were altered in Moscow.
Ukraine has also suffered a series of hacking attacks in the last few months. The country’s UNIAN news agency recently reported the broadcast of the Ukraine-Wales football match by OLL.TV online was temporarily hacked.
Following the Russia-Ukraine war, many global brands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, PayPal, Microsoft, Grammarly, Upwork, Airbnb, etc., have either halted operations or pulled out of the country. Russia has also received various sanctions concerning its invasion of Ukraine.
