Hackers deface Ukrinform homepage and compromise X account
The Ukrainian state news agency said investigators were assessing the damage and working to restore services after the breach.
Ukrinform reported on Nov. 11 that a cyberattack had left its website displaying anti-Ukrainian imagery and compromised its presence on X. The Ukrainian state news agency said specialists were investigating what happened, determining the consequences and attempting to restore services.
The homepage showed ZELENET, a Ukrainian flag crossed out and a Telegram channel link. The same name appeared on the agency’s X account, where the profile biography was altered to carry a pro-Russian slogan.
Ukrinform said its cybersecurity response involved cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection. Speaking to Ukrainska Pravda, Director General Serhii Cherevatyi said Ukrinform had experienced several cyberattacks over recent months. He said attackers’ methods were becoming more sophisticated and included artificial intelligence.
Other Ukrainian news organizations reported breaches in November. In a suspected Russian cyberattack on Nov. 4, intruders accessed the Kyiv Independent’s content management system and a newsletter service. They disrupted its website, posted fabricated messages and distributed false claims about President Volodymyr Zelensky through Russian- and English-language emails.
Ukrainska Pravda’s newsletter account was breached on Nov. 6, with some subscribers receiving a false report alleging a terrorist attack in Kyiv. The outlet denied sending it. Separately, a Nov. 1 intrusion into Ukraine’s widely used air raid alert app produced fake nuclear and chemical threat warnings. Zelensky attributed that attack to Russia.
