Ukrainian and Russian citizens received false notifications on their emergency warning apps, alerting them to incoming strikes with potential radiation and chemical weapons.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported late Sunday that its early notification system was hacked, leading air raid sirens to sound and citizens to receive warnings of nuclear, chemical, and street fighting threats.
Hours later, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said Russian citizens also received false warnings after an attack. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “The website of the president of the Russian Federation is subjected to cyberattacks many times a day, every day. The same goes for other government agencies.”
It is unclear who is behind the hacks and if the false alerts were part of the same operation. Ukraine claimed that Russia was behind the false alerts. “The air alert app appears to have been subjected to enemy influence,” the Air Force said. “There is no radiation threat! Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel!”
A Russian Telegram channel said the Ukrainian attack was conducted by the hacking group Hitcore. A separate hacking group, DC8044, took responsibility for the Russian attack. Moscow blamed DC8044 for previous cyberoperations directed at Russia.
Americans living in Hawaii received a false alert that there was an incoming nuclear attack in 2018. The emergency alert, which was sent to cellphones shortly after 8 AM, said in all caps, “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.”
It took 38 minutes for the US government to officially rescind it.
