A hacker attack by the Russian group XakNe hit the systems of Ukraine’s largest private energy conglomerate, DTEK. According to what was reported by the press and, in particular, by a CNN report, this hacker attack would represent a real retaliation for the opposition of the owner of the DTEK to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian hacker attack on the Ukrainian group DTEK

DTEK owns coal and thermoelectric power plants throughout Ukraine. In addition to the hacker attack, DTEK also had to contend with the Russian bombing of a thermoelectric power station in central Ukraine. At the moment, the effects of the cyber attack are unclear and even after the bombing of the power plant, no cases of power supply interruptions were reported.

Claroy’s comment

Galina Antova, Co-Founder of Claroty, commented on the attack: “These obsolete industrial networks are increasingly connected to IT networks, the cloud and other connected devices, and this creates new IT risks. Critical infrastructures are the heart of national security, which is why the private and public sectors must join forces and take urgent and coordinated action to protect them. It is time to act urgently ”.

According to Claroty’s “Global State of Industrial Cybersecurity” report, moreover, the number of vulnerabilities within industrial control systems has increased by 110% over the past 4 years. It is, therefore, a real risk for organizations like DTEK with cyber attackers having the ability to access systems with relative ease.