Ukraine intel says its hackers obtained Russian Defense Ministry’s classified documents
Ukrainian military intelligence says its cyber specialists have exploited servers of Russian Defense Ministry to obtain secret documents and organizational data, exposing extensive intelligence on Russian command structure and identifications of responsible key leaders and deputies.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) says its cyber specialists have penetrated Russian Defense Ministry computer systems via cyberattack, obtaining secret documents and data revealing the military organizational structure and personal info on key leaders.
The Ukrainian agency says it now possesses critical information security and encryption software used by Russia’s defense establishment. They also obtained an array of secret service documents from the Russian Defense Ministry, including orders, reports, instructions, and communications between over 2,000 structural units.
The hacked information enables Ukrainian intelligence to map out the complete organizational structure of Russia’s defense ministry and its connections. Analyzing the data also helped identify Russian generals and senior leaders across military units who directed the invasion of Ukraine.
“The analysis of the data also helped to identify generals, other senior leaders of the structural units of the [Russian Ministry of Defense], as well as deputies, aides, specialists – all those who used the electronic document management software called ‘Bureaucrat’. The military intelligence of Ukraine, for example, has the official documents of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Timur Ivanov,” the HUR wrote, adding that Ivanov “played an important role in making the cyberattack successful.”
Ukraine’s military hackers continue operations to obstruct and paralyze the activities of Russian law enforcement and officials driving the war, according to the HUR.
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