Ukrainian hackers have successfully breached the systems of the Skolkovo Foundation, an agency responsible for overseeing a high-tech business area near Moscow that was established to rival Silicon Valley.
The hackers gained limited access to specific information systems, including the organization’s file hosting service. Taking credit for the attack, a group of Ukrainian hacktivists shared screenshots on Telegram and left a message claiming to have destroyed Skolkovo’s infrastructure while stating that they possess important documents and project source codes.
Although Skolkovo’s website is currently functioning, it took the organization nearly a day to restore all of its services following the cyberattack. Russia’s law enforcement agencies are actively investigating the incident.
While there was no compromise of critical user data, the hackers were able to access presentations, photos, contracts, and lists of partners and counterparties of legal entities, according to analysis by a Russian Telegram group specializing in data leaks.
Skolkovo represents Russia’s endeavor to recreate the success of America’s innovation ecosystem and holds significant symbolic value. Founded in 2010 by Russian former President Dmitry Medvedev, the foundation’s goals were initially aligned with Western ideals.
However, Medvedev’s subsequent support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and criticism of the U.S.’s stance on the conflict led to the imposition of sanctions on Skolkovo by the United States due to its close ties with Russia’s defense sector.
This cyberattack is part of a larger virtual conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with Ukrainian hacktivists actively engaging in various activities. Some of them are associated with the IT Army, focusing on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Russian websites, while others operate independently.
In a recent attack, Ukrainian hacktivists targeted the website of Russian internet service provider Miranda Media, which operates in occupied Crimea and is connected to Russia’s national telecom provider Rostelecom. The company referred to the incident as the largest cyberattack in its history, as the hackers aimed to disrupt its infrastructure.
