On July 24, several prominent Russian banks experienced significant disruptions to their mobile apps and websites due to a coordinated DDoS attack. Banks affected included Gazprombank, Alfa-Bank, VTB, and Rosbank, with complaints starting to surge around 09:30 Moscow time. By midday, Post Bank clients also reported similar issues, including difficulties in making payments and accessing accounts, causing considerable frustration among users.
VTB’s press service attributed the problems to a high load on internet providers’ infrastructure, confirming that the banking sector was targeted by a DDoS attack from abroad. Alfa-Bank reassured clients that the issues were temporary and related to technical work, while Gazprombank acknowledged short-term difficulties with some transactions. These disruptions mirrored issues from the previous day, which affected other banks like Raiffeisenbank, GPB, and Rosselkhozbank.
According to Daniil Shcherbakov, Deputy CEO of Servicepipe, the attacks involved hackers scanning infrastructure for vulnerabilities and targeting them simultaneously. Shcherbakov noted that one institution was hit across over 400 IP addresses, suggesting a broad and sophisticated approach. The pattern of the attacks indicates that major financial institutions might be targeted further.
As the banks returned to normal operations later in the day, the incidents highlighted the growing threat of politically motivated cyber attacks on critical financial infrastructure. Authorities and financial institutions are now working to bolster their defenses in response to these evolving threats, with ongoing developments anticipated as the situation unfolds.
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