The confrontation in the Russian-Ukrainian war has extended from front lines and engagement sites to mobile phone screens, where alert and emergency applications have become vulnerable to cyberattacks that can incite fear and confusion among millions of civilians through fake messages warning of non-existent attacks and threats.
In this context, Tass news agency reported on Monday that Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations stated its mobile phone application was the target of a large-scale cyberattack, enabling attackers to spread false information among the population, while clarifying that they are working to fix the security flaw and restore the application to normal operation.
The Russian announcement came hours after the Ukrainian Air Force announced that its "Air Alert" application was hacked, following users in several areas receiving messages warning of radiation and chemical threats, potential street clashes, and a false message claiming the launch of Russian hypersonic missiles, according to Reuters.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed there was no radiation threat, urging residents to remain calm and follow information through official channels, while Ukraine's Ministry for Digital Transformation announced the temporary suspension of the application, with other alert means continuing to operate.
According to Agence France-Presse, the danger of these incidents is not limited to the hacking of an electronic application but is linked to the vital role these applications play, as residents in war zones rely on their immediate alerts, which may precede missile attacks by only minutes, making manipulation of their content influential in their decisions and behavior.
These developments reveal the widening scope of cyberwarfare, as cyberattacks no longer target only the disruption of government websites or damage to digital networks and systems, but have extended to influencing the flow of information and controlling what reaches the public, turning civil services and digital platforms into parts of the confrontation front.
In the Ukrainian case, the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications accused Russia of being behind the hacking of the Air Alert application, although published information did not include independent proof of this accusation. Conversely, Russian authorities have not announced the identity of the party responsible for the attack on the Ministry of Emergency Situations' application, nor provided details on its scale and impact.
The Russian and Ukrainian incidents reveal another face of modern warfare, as control over land alone is no longer the goal of the confrontation; rather, the integrity of information flow and the reliability of the means conveying it have become part of societal security during conflicts.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
Comments (0)