Putin’s Birthday Hack: Ukraine Shuts Down Russia’s Court System

On Monday, Oct. 7, cyber specialists from Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), together with activists from the “VО Team” group, “congratulated” Russian President Vladimir Putin on his 72nd birthday by hacking the state automated “Pravosudie,” system which handles electronic document flows for all courts of the Russian Federation, according to Kyiv Post’s intelligence sources.

Sources from HUR report that the attack paralyzed the work of the courts, departmental email systems, and official websites.

“As a result of the cyberattack, the personal data of users and internal documentation from the system were obtained. Currently, Russians report being unable to file lawsuits or view court hearing schedules, as the court websites are down,” the source said.

According to military intelligence sources, the attack was made possible due to the low qualifications of Russian cybersecurity experts and vulnerabilities in the much-publicized Russian computer security systems provided by “Kaspersky Lab,” “Positive Technologies,” and “IVK.”

The "Pravosudie" system is the electronic document management system for courts of all jurisdictions and levels in Russia. It is used for filing lawsuits, providing information on court hearings and schedule changes, and offering consultations on court cases.

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Hackers from Ukrainian intelligence agencies have systematically attacked Russia’s digital networks and infrastructure over recent weeks.

HUR struck several online sites linked to the supply lines of the Russian army, a HUR source told Kyiv Post on Friday morning, Oct. 4.

As a result of the attack, hackers were able to infiltrate websites that support Russia’s military logistics network and gather information on the movement of military personnel. One of the most significant targets was the “okrug.ru” site, which supplies the Russian army with various types of equipment and uniforms.

On Wednesday, Oct. 6, HUR hackers carried out cyberattacks on Russia’s banking sector as reported in Kyiv Post. Alfa Bank, Otkritiy Bank and telecommunications operator Rostelecom, which provides financial support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, were hit by the cyberattack according to an HUR source.

According to military intelligence sources, HUR computer specialists carried out cyberattacks against more than 800 servers in various regions of the Russian Federation between Monday, Sept. 23 to Thursday, Sept. 26.

On Sept. 13, HUR cyber specialists and the VO Team hacked the Russian federal center “Osnovanie,” which certifies digital signatures used by local businesses and individuals, depriving access to the service for its users for more than a week and left a message on the site which said:

“Your certificates are in safe hands. The proceeds from the sale of your data will be used to support the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.”