Hacker groups launch massive cyberattack on Aeroflot, disrupting thousands of flights

In Russia, a significant cyberattack targeted Aeroflot, the state-owned airline, resulting in extensive disruptions to its flight operations. The attack, confirmed by Russia’s prosecutor's office on a recent Monday, led to more than 100 cancelled flights and delays affecting both domestic and international services, particularly to Belarus, Armenia, and Uzbekistan. Crowds of passengers were seen at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, expressing frustration over the mass outages caused by the airline's compromised computer systems. The hacker groups responsible for this attack—Silent Crow and the Belarus Cyber-Partisans—claimed they had infiltrated Aeroflot's corporate network for over a year, copying sensitive customer and internal data. This includes audio recordings of phone calls and surveillance data regarding employees. Silent Crow has asserted that they have rendered this data inaccessible or destroyed, indicating that the financial repercussions of restoring their systems could reach tens of millions of dollars. The timing of this cyberattack follows a series of incidents in which Russia's airports faced crises due to safety concerns stemming from drone attacks carried out by Ukraine. The spokesperson for the Kremlin expressed alarm at these events, emphasizing that the threat posed by hackers remains a pressing concern for major companies providing public services. The Belarus Cyber-Partisans, who have previously claimed responsibility for various cyberattacks on Belarusian institutions, stated that they had been planning this operation for months and utilized existing vulnerabilities in Aeroflot's systems to penetrate their network. Both groups leverage the escalating political strife between Belarus and Ukraine as well as the ongoing conflict involving Russia. Belarus aids Russia in its military endeavors against Ukraine, and the cyberattack reflects broader regional tensions. This event may also have significant implications for customer privacy and trust, considering reports that personal data from all individuals who have flown with Aeroflot could now be at risk following the breach.