Security News > 2023 > February > Kremlin claims Ukraine hackers behind fake missile strike alerts

Millions of Russians in almost a dozen cities throughout the country were greeted Wednesday morning by radio alerts, text messages, and sirens warning of an air raid or missile strikes that never occurred.

According to reports from news operations in Russia, a woman's voice was broadcast through a number of radio stations - including Relax FM, Avatoradio, Yumor FM, and Comedy Radio - saying, "Attention, an air raid warning is being announced. Go to the shelter immediately. Attention, Attention, threat of a missile strike."

Local officials in some of the cities, including in the Belgorod and Kurgan regions, quickly announced that the alerts were fake and the country's Ministry of Emergency Situations later accused unidentified miscreants of initiating the broadcasts.

"As a result of a hacker attack on the servers of some commercial radio stations in some regions of the country, information was broadcast about an alleged announcement of an air raid warning and a threat of a missile strike," the Ministry said in a statement, according to RIA Novosti, the Russian state-owned news agency.

Many of the stations that aired the broadcasts are owned by Gazprom-Media, the largest media company in Russia.

The fake alerts were broadcast two days before the one-year anniversary of Russia's unprovoked and illegal attack on neighboring Ukraine, a "Special military operation" the country's political and military leaders said at the beginning would be wrapped up in a matter of weeks.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/02/23/russia_fake_missile_alerts/