Ukraine’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar was targeted in a powerful cyberattack, causing a technical failure that temporarily disrupted communication services and internet access for millions of Ukrainians, the company announced in a press release on Dec. 12.
“To document the circumstances and consequences of the illegal actions interfering with Kyivstar’s network operations, the operator has involved representatives of law enforcement and special state services, who are currently working in the company’s office. As of now, it is known that the personal data of subscribers has not been compromised,” Kyivstar stated.
The operator’s specialists are still working to resolve the consequences of the cyberattack and to restore communication and services as soon as possible.
The Solntsepek hacking group, which has claimed responsibility for hacking Kyivstar’s mobile network, is part of the Russian military intelligence agency the GRU, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported on Telegram.
Kyivstar is receiving help from international IT companies including Microsoft, Cisco, and Ericsson, to restore communications after a major hacking attack, according to the company’s CEO.
“Each of them has expertise and experience in a specific area. We work a lot with Microsoft, Cisco and Ericsson,” Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov said in an interview with Forbes Ukraine.
As of September 2023, Kyivstar served over 24 million mobile communication subscribers and more than 1 million home internet subscribers. The company offers a range of services utilizing various mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, digital TV, and more.
In October, a court imposed an arrest on Kyivstar shares controlled by Russian-sanctioned oligarchs Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, and Andrey Kosogov. Kyivstar’s sole shareholder is the Netherlands-registered VEON group. In late November, the President’s Office indicated a “high probability” of sanctions against Kyivstar with subsequent confiscation.