SentinelOne, a cybersecurity firm, has reported that four telecommunications providers in Ukraine may have been targeted by Russian military hackers using an enhanced variant of malware called 'AcidPour'. The malware is designed to erase data and has been linked to threatening activities associated with Russian military intelligence.
The primary objective of these attacks was to obtain confidential information from the mobile devices of Ukrainian soldiers, which could aid the Kremlin's war against Ukraine. As per the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Russian hackers made an effort to penetrate Android tablets used by the Ukrainian military to strategize and carry out combat missions. The tablets were linked to the Starlink satellite system, owned by Elon Musk's company, which has been vital for battlefield communications in Ukraine.
While some hacking attempts were prevented, the Russians were able to obtain some of the tablets on the battlefield and install malicious software on them. Mobile malware is a particularly insidious tool for intelligence services as it can provide them with information about the physical location of targets, making it highly effective on the battlefield.
This incident demonstrates how Russia's illegal war in Ukraine is also being fought in cyberspace. According to Paul Chichester, the Director of Operations at the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, this attack is an example of how Russia is continuing its aggression in Ukraine through digital means.
The international community is closely monitoring these cyber attacks, which have significant implications for global security and regional stability.