Tag Archive for: telecom

Britain summons Chinese charge d’affaires over alleged cyber hacking, ET Telecom


LONDON: Britain on Tuesday summoned the charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in London after accusing Chinese state-backed hackers of stealing data from Britain’s elections watchdog and carrying out a surveillance operation against parliamentarians.

Britain said the Chinese hackers stole the voter registration data – mostly names and addresses – of about 40 million people from the Electoral Commission and tried to break into lawmakers’ emails.

“The (Foreign Office) set out the government’s unequivocal condemnation of Chinese state-affiliated organisations and individuals undertaking malicious cyber activity against UK democratic institutions and parliamentarians,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday the government is close to finalising a new foreign influence registration system that would require anyone working undeclared for a foreign country in the so-called “enhanced tier” to declare their activity.

Under Britain’s new National Security Act, individuals, such as lawyers, a public relations company or an undercover spy working for a country in the “enhanced tier” would have to record their activity in a register or face prosecution.

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday that China’s alleged hacking of British democratic institutions meant there was a “strong case” for including the country in the enhanced tier.

China has denied the spying allegations. The Chinese embassy in London said on Monday the claims said the claims were ”completely fabricated” and it will make “a justified and necessary response”.

The British government has previously said it would be inappropriate to call China a “threat” because it is too simplistic to view relations with the world’s second biggest economy through a single word.

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Hackers hit Moscow internet provider in response to Kyivstar cyber attack, ET Telecom



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By James Pearson and Tom Balmforth

LONDON: Hackers linked to Ukraine’s main spy agency have breached computer systems at a Moscow-based internet provider in retaliation for a Russian cyber attack against Ukrainian telecom giant Kyivstar, a source with direct knowledge of the operation told Reuters on Tuesday.

The hacking group, dubbed “Blackjack”, has previously been linked to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The hackers deleted 20 terrabytes of data at M9 Telecom, a small Russian internet and TV provider, leaving some Moscow residents without internet, the source said.

The digital intrusion was a warm-up for a larger cyber attack which would be “serious revenge for Kyivstar”, the source said, citing the hackers. The source did not say when the hack took place.

M9 Telecom did not respond to an emailed request for comment. The company’s website was still online on Tuesday, despite claims by the hacking group that it had been destroyed.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the extent to which the hack was successful. Reached by phone, M9 Telecom’s CEO Andrey Pavolvsky declined to comment.

Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile network operator, was knocked offline by Russian spies last month in what appeared to be the largest cyber attack since Moscow launched its war on the country in February 2022.

Russian hackers were inside Kyivstar’s systems for months before the attack, Ukraine’s cyber spy chief, Illia Vitiuk, told Reuters last week. The hack caused “disastrous” destruction at the company, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GUR, said late on Monday that it had received a large cache of classified Russian military data from the Special Technology Centre (STC), a sanctioned Russian company which produces the Orlan drone and a range of intelligence equipment for Moscow.

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How this Ukrainian telecom company was hit by Russian hackers in one of the biggest cyberattack of war


Russian hackers have hacked the system of Ukraine’s leading telecoms operator, Kyivstar, in a cyberattack that lasted for several days. The attack, which took place in December last year, affected approximately 24 million users and caused significant disruption to services. According to Reuters, the head of Ukraine’s cybersecurity department, Illia Vitiuk, revealed exclusive details about the attack, describing it as “disastrous” and aimed at causing psychological damage and gathering intelligence.

Vitiuk emphasized the importance of this attack as a warning to both Ukraine and the Western world, highlighting that no one is exempt from cyber threats. He noted that Kyivstar, being a wealthy and private company that heavily invested in cybersecurity, was targeted to send a strong message. The attack resulted in the destruction of numerous virtual servers and PCs, making it the first known instance of a cyberattack completely crippling a telecoms operator.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducted an investigation and found evidence suggesting that the hackers had been inside Kyivstar’s system since at least May 2023, with full access likely gained in November. Vitiuk stated that the hackers could have potentially stolen personal information, intercepted SMS messages, and gained access to Telegram accounts. However, Kyivstar denied any leakage of personal or subscriber data, stating that they were collaborating with the SBU to investigate the attack and mitigate future risks.

Vitiuk further revealed that the SBU’s prompt response helped Kyivstar restore its systems and fend off subsequent cyberattacks. He acknowledged that the attack had a limited impact on Ukraine’s military, as they relied on different algorithms and protocols for drone and missile detection.

The investigation into the attack is challenging due to the extensive wiping of Kyivstar’s infrastructure. Vitiuk strongly suspected that the Russian military intelligence cyberwarfare unit known as Sandworm was responsible for the attack, citing their previous involvement in cyberattacks in Ukraine. He also mentioned a previous hack by Sandworm on another Ukrainian telecoms operator, detected by the SBU. Vitiuk highlighted…

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Optus: Telecom boss Kelly Bayer Rosmarin quits after Australian outage


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The firm has come under fire following a nationwide network outage this month

The chief executive of Australian telecom giant Optus has resigned after a nationwide outage this month.

Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has been under pressure to quit after overseeing a tumultuous three years for the firm.

Along with the network failure which left almost half of Australia disconnected, she was at the helm during a major data breach last year.

In a statement, she said it had been “an honour to serve” but it was now appropriate for her to step down.

“Having now had time for some personal reflection, I have come to the decision that my resignation is in the best interest of Optus moving forward.”

Ms Bayer Rosmarin will be replaced by chief financial officer Michael Venter while the firm searches for a replacement.

The chief executive of Optus’s Singaporean parent company thanked her for her hard work during a “challenging period” – pointing out she had improved financial performance despite being appointed at the beginning of the pandemic.

But Yuen Kuan Moon said the Singtel Group understood her decision to resign.

“We recognise the need for Optus to regain customer trust and confidence… Optus’ priority is about setting on a path of renewal for the benefit of the community and customers,” Mr Moon said.

The outage on 8 November left 10 million Australians and thousands of businesses without mobile or internet coverage for over 12 hours.

The failure caused transport delays, cut hospital phone lines, shut down payment systems, and blocked about 200 people from calling emergency services.

Ms Bayer Rosmarin has faced criticism over her response to the incident, including at a Senate hearing on Friday.

There she revealed thousands of Australians were pursuing the telecom for compensation.

The company is also fighting a class action lawsuit from more than 100,000 current and former customers over the data breach in September 2022.

Affecting 10 million people, it was at the time believed to be the worst data breach in Australian history.

Optus had apologised and blamed a sophisticated cyber-attack, but critics disputed that, including the Minister for Cyber…

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