A hacking group linked to Anonymous claims they’ve shut down Russia’s space agency, although – as you might imagine – the agency has denied that anything like that has actually happened.
The idea behind the alleged attack appears to have been aimed at stopping Russia’s satellites from being able to see anything from above the earth, and they also claim to have deleted a number of controversial files.
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The group, affiliated with Anonymous, is called Network Battalion 65 – or NB65 – and they said that Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘no longer has control over spy satellites’, sharing a tweet that purported to show Roscosmos server information.
Apparently, they’d managed to download and delete a number of confidential files from the agency’s satellite imaging and Vehicle Monitoring System.
However, there are two sides to this story.
The Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin later tweeted that nothing had happened, stating: “The information of these scammers and petty swindlers is not true.
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“All our space activity control centers [sic] are operating normally.”
He went on to say that Russia would be treating any hacking of satellites as justification for war.
Rogozin has previously said that the control of not only their space agency, but also the orbital group and Russian International Space Station segment are well-protected from cyber attacks.
The hackers had earlier tweeted: “The WS02 was deleted, credentials were rotated, and the server is shut down.
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“We won't stop until you stop dropping bombs, killing civilians, and trying to invade. Go the f*** back to Russia.”
Just days ago, Anonymous claimed to have successfully breached 300 Russian websites and sent offers of more than $53,000 (£39,000) to troops fighting in Ukraine if they gave up their tanks.
According to Ukrainian media, the hacking network says it has collected more than $10.3 billion to offer out to tank crews.
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Last week, when Ukraine was invaded, they declared ‘cyber war’ against the Putin regime and Russia.
They said: “The Anonymous collective is officially in cyber war against the Russian government.”
About half-an-hour after that announcement, they said they’d successfully taken down Russia state-backed TV channel Russia Today (RT), which broadcast in the UK on Sky before it announced RT's removal yesterday (1 March).
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In the past, Anonymous has attacked the online presence of Islamic State, as well as white supremacy group the Ku Klux Klan.
Members of the group are known for their ‘Guy Fawkes’ masks and are known as ‘Anons’.
They have also threatened billionaire Elon Musk because of his perceived power over cryptocurrency markets.
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, World News, Technology, Vladimir Putin, Space
Tom Wood