Ukraine and Russia Emergency Alert Apps Hit by Cyberattacks; Ukrainians Receive False Nuclear and Chemical Threat Warnings
KYIV, November 2 — Emergency alert apps in Ukraine and Russia both reported cyberattacks on November 2, with users in Ukraine receiving false warnings of dangerously high radiation levels, a chemical threat and public disturbances in Kyiv. Neither country has said whether the two incidents are connected.
According to the Associated Press on November 2, Ukraine's air raid alert channel said late Sunday that unauthorized parties had interfered with the app; the service was temporarily suspended and gradually restored overnight. Russian officials said hackers had sent fake alerts through the Emergency Ministry's app, but the wider public alert system remained operational. The BBC reported the same day that Russia described a "massive cyber-attack," that Ukraine reported the problem first and told residents to ignore "strange messages," and that it is not clear whether the incidents are connected. British outlets reported that millions of Ukrainians received false warnings of an imminent nuclear and chemical attack.
Ukrainian authorities urged residents to rely on official channels and ignore the false alerts. As of publication, no official attribution of the attacks had been given.
(Source: Associated Press)
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 基辅市景。 Kyiv skyline. CC BY-SA 2.0，图片来源：Wikimedia Commons。 CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
