Russian and Ukrainian Emergency Alert Apps Hacked One After Another... Fake ‘Nuclear and Chemical Attack’ Alerts Cause Confusion

[Financial News] A spate of hacks targeting emergency alert apps in Russia and Ukraine at around the same time caused a stir as they sent citizens fake warnings of “nuclear attacks” and other threats. The confusion intensified as essential public systems that help civilians evacuate amid the horrors of war were left vulnerable to cyberattacks.

According to the AP and other foreign news outlets, at around 11 p.m. the previous night, Ukraine’s nationwide air-raid alert app, Air Alert, came under an external cyberattack and sent false alerts to Kyiv, the capital, and other areas.
The app, which has more than 6.7 million users a day, displayed false messages claiming that Russia had launched the Orechnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead, and that Ukraine faced the risk of nuclear and chemical attacks. Some regions also received warnings predicting urban combat in the capital area.
The Ukrainian Air Force immediately said on Telegram that “the air-raid alert app came under interference from hostile forces” and urged people to “stay calm, as there is absolutely no radiation risk.” Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and the developer, Ajax Systems, immediately suspended the app temporarily and began taking security measures. Some functions have now been restored, except for the feature that displays targets on the map. Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication (SPRAVDI) pointed to Russia as being behind the hack, while the pro-Russian self-proclaimed hacking group “Hitcore” also claimed responsibility.

Just a few hours after the incident involving Ukraine’s app, a similar cyberattack occurred in Russia. According to the state-run TASS Russian News Agency and other outlets, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said its own emergency alert app had been hit by a large-scale cyberattack and false information had been spread to users.
The Russian app reportedly carried false messages such as “A nuclear attack is imminent” and “Stockpile enough food for three weeks.” Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said, however, that the hack had not affected the operation of the emergency alert system itself, and that existing alert systems, including sirens and loudspeakers, were functioning normally.
It has yet to be confirmed whether the alert-app hacks that occurred at around the same time in the two countries were connected. Russia has not issued an official response to Ukraine’s claim that it was behind the hack.
Foreign news outlets noted that the incident showed how even alert systems designed to protect civilians’ lives in wartime could be exploited to spread false information. Concerns are mounting that repeated false alerts could erode public trust in warnings and lead to fatal consequences, such as delayed evacuations during an actual air raid in the future.


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