Posted on June 13, 2023 at 10:47 AM
Swiss Websites Targeted By A DDoS Attack Amid Zelensky Video Address
The Swiss authorities have confirmed a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack targeting several government websites. The DDoS attack happened on Monday, and Pro-Russian hackers took responsibility for the attack.
Swiss websites targeted by a DDoS attack
The DDoS campaign against the Swiss government agencies happened as the Swiss parliament readies for a video address by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The video address is slated to happen on Thursday, and the day set for this event has coincided with a national holiday in Russia.
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) of Switzerland released a statement on these exploits, saying that several websites belonging to the Federal Administration and enterprises linked with the Confederation were no longer available online following the recent attack. The NoName hacking group has already claimed responsibility for this exploit.
“On Monday, 12 June 2023, various websites of the Federal Administration and enterprises affiliated with the Confederation were unavailable. The Swiss government’s portal [www.admin.ch] remains accessible,” the NCSC said. “The NoName Hacker group has claimed responsibility for the attack online.”
The agency also noted that the hacker group was also behind an attack that happened last week targeting the website of the Swiss parliament. The NCSC noted that it was still analyzing this attack and the administrative divisions that had been affected. It was also setting up appropriate measures to mitigate the exploit.
The NCSC has not linked the upcoming video address by Zelensky to this hacking campaign. However, the group posted a message on Telegram acknowledging that it was behind the exploit that happened last week on the parliament’s website. It said that the reason behind the attack was “Swiss Russophobes” who had passed another set of EU sanctions packages against Moscow.
The group has also said that it would continue to defend Russian interests on the “information front.” It added that it had taken down the websites belonging to the Swiss Police and the justice ministry.
Russian hacktivist groups have been increasingly active since the Russia-Ukraine war started. These groups have been targeting countries that have sided with Ukraine in the war. The majority of the attacks have been DDoS campaigns aimed at disrupting key services.
However, hacktivist groups supporting Ukraine have also been active, with these groups targeting Russian infrastructure. Recently, a mysterious hacker managed to hack the cryptocurrency wallets belonging to several Russian government agencies and later transferred the funds to Ukraine.
Developments in the Russia-Ukraine War
The Russian Defence Ministry has shared video footage of what it said were Leopard tanks made in Germany and Bradley Fighting Vehicles made in the US. These vehicles were captured by Russian forces during a fierce battle between Russian and Ukraine troops.
The Russian Defence Ministry opined that the tanks and armored vehicles were captured at the Zaporizhzhia front in Southern Ukraine. This was one of the areas where Ukrainian forces have been trying to conduct a counter-attack.
The two Leopard tanks were displayed in the footage released through the official Telegram channel of the ministry. The footage also included two Bradley Fighting Vehicles that were damaged during the fighting.
A short statement from the ministry that accompanied the footage said that the captured military hardware was “our trophies.” The video showed soldiers at the Vostic (East) military grouping assessing the equipment that was captured by the Ukrainian troops.
On Monday, Ukraine said that its troops had recaptured several villages from Russian forces. These villages are situated along around 100 KM front in the southeast since the Ukrainian forces started their counteroffensive last week. However, Russia claims that some of the ceded territory was recaptured in recent days.
A Russian official in Ukraine has also confirmed that a top Russian officer was killed in a Ukrainian missile strike. The strike was part of the counteroffensive launched by Ukraine against Russian forces. The Russian official in Ukraine revealed the death of the top official while offering his condolences.
Vladimir Rogov, who is a Russian-based official at the Southern Zaporizhzhia region that is under the control of Moscow, confirmed that Major General Sergei Goryachev was killed. Goryachev was the Chief of Staff of the Russian 35th Army. His death comes as Ukrainian forces retake some of the territory that was initially ceded to Russian soldiers.
The news of the death of the top official has yet to be confirmed by the Russian Defence Ministry. The 52-year-old was a decorated officer that also fought during the Second Chechen War.
