Posted on June 16, 2023 at 7:58 PM

Anonymous Sudan, Killnet, And REvil Threaten To Attack The European Financial System

Three of the most notorious hacker groups, Anonymous Sudan, Killnet, and REvil, have threatened that they will launch a “destructive” hacking campaign across Europe. This campaign will target the European financial system.

Anonymous Sudan, Killnet, and REvil to launch campaign

The three hacker groups have said that the destructive hacking campaign will start with the SWIFT international communications system. The hackers have also threatened that these hacking campaigns could start in the next 48 hours.

The three groups published a video saying that the attacks were in retaliation to Europe for the role it has played in helping Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia. While it is not known whether the hacker groups will go ahead with their plans and be successful, it is paramount that financial systems across Europe maintain vigilance.

A report by Tech Monitor said that security researchers believed that the prospect was far-fetched. As such, financial institutions needed to be on high alert. The Killnet hacking group has been linked to massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that have targeted governments and key institutions.

The three hacker groups are pro-Russian. Moreover, there is also a possibility that their hacking activities are known by the Russian government as they have been previously linked to the GRU security service.

On the other hand, Anonymous Sudan is a faction of the larger Anonymous hacking group. Anonymous Sudan and Killnet published a video and several posts on Telegram that warned about a destructive attack that was targeting the European banking system. The two groups warned that the hacking exploit would start in the next 48 hours.

The post noted that one of the key financial institutions that might be targeted in the campaign is the US Federal Reserve. The videos have also mentioned that the REvil hacker group will be part of the attacks. However, it appears as if REvil will not be heavily involved in the campaign.

Pro-Russian hackers behind the planned exploit

The individual that appears in the video detailing the planned attacks has used the style used by the Anonymous hacktivist group. The individual had a cloaked voice and a Guy Fawkes mask. In the video, the individual asks, “If God rules Russia, then who rules Europe?”

He later notes that the banking system was at the center of the operations across Europe. The individual also implied that the campaign targeting Europe was being conducted because of the involvement of the region in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Killnet hacking group is known for conducting pro-Russia attacks in the past. The group has previously targeted Nato and its allies and launched DDoS campaigns against them because of their anti-Russia stance.

The video noted that the attack on the European financial system was imminent, adding that the REvil hacking group has expertise in exploiting the European banking structure. The individual in the video has also urged all other active hacker groups to participate in the campaign against Europe and especially target the SWIFT system.

The SWIFT system is used to support transactions between international banks. During the first days of the Ukraine war, Russia was banned from the SWIFT banking system as part of the sanctions that were imposed against the country by Ukraine’s Western allies.

Cybersecurity researchers believe that these claims should be taken seriously, as Killnet and Anonymous Sudan have launched pro-Russian attacks in the past. The Killnet hacking group usually specializes in DDoS attacks, which are aimed at overloading a server with traffic to take it offline.

In November, Killnet launched a hacking attack against the European Parliament. The website of the European Parliament was brought down for several hours. It has also targeted other Ukraine allies, such as Japan and Lithuania. While DDoS attacks are simple to launch, they can cause damage like other cyberattacks when they target key infrastructure.

After the end of the 48 hours announced by the two groups, it will be known whether the claims made by the hacker groups are accurate or not. However, the message goes on to prove that there is a shift in hacking activities.

Hacking attacks are shifting from solely being launched for financial benefits or stealing data to shaping public opinion. The geopolitical situation in Ukraine has also led to the growth of several hacktivist groups. While some of the hacktivist groups have supported Russia by targeting Ukraine and its allies, some have chosen to side with Ukraine and launch attacks against Russia.