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A major cyberattack on Russia’s flagship carrier, Aeroflot, has led to the grounding of dozens of flights, causing significant disruptions at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. The incident, which appears to be the work of Ukrainian and Belarusian hacker groups, is the first cyber-related incident to bring the airline’s operations to a halt on such a scale.
Aeroflot reported a “breakdown in the IT system” that affected its flight schedules, resulting in the grounding of 64 flights on Monday and the cancellation of 14 others for the following day. The airline has since been working to restore normal service, but the incident has left many passengers stranded.
Ukrainian hacking group Silent Crow and the Belarusian Cyber Partisans both claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as the culmination of a long-term effort to infiltrate Aeroflot’s internal systems. According to the hackers, the company’s lax security practices, including outdated software and weak password management, allowed them to successfully breach the airline’s infrastructure. Cyber Partisans even suggested they would soon release the personal details of Russian passengers who had flown with Aeroflot.
The attack has prompted an official response from Russian authorities, with the prosecutor’s office opening investigations into the breach. Aeroflot, meanwhile, assured that most of its flights were operating normally as it worked to recover from the incident.
The attack underscores the growing vulnerability of critical infrastructure to cyber threats, particularly as the geopolitical conflict continues to escalate. Hackers have increasingly targeted key sectors, from airlines to government systems, as the lines between warfare and cybercrime become ever more blurred.
As cyberattacks become an ever-present threat, the focus on cybersecurity for critical industries like transportation and communications will intensify. For now, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in interconnected systems, highlighting the need for robust digital defenses as global tensions rise.
