Large-scale hacker attack disrupts operations of the biggest Ukrainian mobile operator
Date: 20/12/23
Ukraine’s leading mobile phone provider, Kyivstar, suffered a large-scale hacker attack on 12 December 2023. With over 24.3 million clients, the company serves more than half the country’s population. Their loss of phone and internet connectivity is a serious issue in a country where many rely on mobile phones for air raid alerts. Within a week, all services were restored.
Large numbers of social network users massively report the lack of connection following the cyberattack. In some regions, in addition to mobile communication, wired internet did not work. Additionally, shops throughout the country were unable to process credit payments, many ATMs could not function and even the automatic control of street lighting in Lviv failed.
The method of the attack is now understood. Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov said technicians had discovered “a perimeter vulnerability that was used by hackers”. In a separate interview, with Ukrainian TV, Komarov said Kyivstar’s IT infrastructure was “significantly damaged” and as the attack could not be countered virtually, they “physically disconnected Kyivstar from the network”.
On December 19 telecommunications company Veon, a parent company of Kyivstar, said that its specialists had worked non-stop to restore subscribers’ ability to use all communication services throughout Ukraine and abroad. As compensation, the company cancelled the plan fees for all its users for the following month.
We use cookies on this site to improve your website experience, to enhance site navigation and analyse site usage. By clicking “Accept all cookies” you consent to our use of cookies.
You can find out more about which cookies we are using or adjust your cookie settings in the Cookies policy.
Functionality Cookies
Functionality cookies, which are essential to the functioning of the website. These cookies also which help us measure the website’s performance and improve your experience, as well as remembering any settings you might have selected.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
Advertising/targeting cookies
Advertising/targeting cookies, which we use to track user activity and sessions so that we can deliver a more personalized service, and (in the case of advertising cookies) which are set by the third parties with whom we execute advertising campaigns and allow us to provide advertisements relevant to you. These are optional cookies and users can choose to opt out at any moment.