According to an official press release on a Ukrainian government domain, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has reported successfully breaching the servers of the Russian Ministry of Defense (Minoborony) and acquiring sensitive documents.
Russian Defense Ministry Hack Exposed Secret Information from Russian MOD Servers
The GUR describes the Russian defense ministry hack as a “special operation” executed by their cyber-specialists. As a result of the breach, they claim to have obtained secret service information contained in the sensitive documents.
- Software used by the Russian Ministry of Defense to safeguard and encrypt data.
- A wide range of classified documents from the Russian Ministry of Defense, including orders, reports, directives, and various other materials, circulated among more than 2000 structural units within the ministry.
- The obtained information allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the complete organizational structure of the Minoborony system and its interconnections.
- The data helped identify key personnel, deputies, assistants, and specialists within the Minoborony who utilized an electronic document management software called “bureaucracy.”
- Additionally, certain documents belonging to Timur Vadimovich Ivanov, the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, were also part of the acquired materials.
The press release highlights the involvement of Minister Ivanov in the cyber attack’s success, although specific operation details are not disclosed.
As evidence of the alleged breach, four screenshots have been posted, displaying database query results, log files, and official procedure/guideline documents.
The authenticity of these screenshots has not been verified by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The GUR has previously asserted unverified breaches into various Russian entities, such as the Russian Center for Space Hydrometeorology, known as “planeta” (планета), the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), and the Russian Federal Taxation Service (FNS).
In two of these reported attacks, the GUR claimed activities targeted data backups and database destruction, intending to disrupt operations. However, in the recent case involving the breach of the Russian Ministry of Defense (Moniborony), the GUR has not made any such claims regarding data destruction or operational disruption.
