Hacked alert apps send Ukrainians, Russians fake attack warnings
Ukrainian and Russian emergency alert apps were hacked hours apart on Sunday night, sending false warnings about nuclear strikes and chemical attacks to millions of civilians.
At 10:47 p.m. local time on Sunday, Ukraine's Air Alert app began sending false notifications about radiation threats, chemical attacks, and even street fighting in Kyiv. The app, developed by Ajax Systems and Stfalcon with support from Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation, is relied upon by many Ukrainians to decide whether to take shelter during Russian missile and drone strikes.
"The Air Alert app appears to have been subjected to hostile interference. There is no radiation threat!" the Air Force said in a message shared on Telegram, urging citizens to remain calm and follow official updates.
Russian app also compromised
A couple of hours later, at 2:45 a.m. in Moscow, Russia's Emergencies Ministry app was also hacked. False alerts were sent to users in 33 regions, warning of "nuclear warheads" being launched across the country and instructing residents to stock up on food for three weeks and shelter in basements.
The hack had no impact on Ukraine's security operations and that the Air Alert app is not affiliated with the country's military command systems.
The Russian ministry said attackers had exploited a vulnerability in its app's administrative panel, prompting officials to disconnect and isolate affected services. Developers of Ukraine's Air Alert app similarly reported "unauthorized interference" and temporarily disabled push notifications and the app itself.
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