According to British news outlet Metro, hacker group Anonymous claimed to have rendered Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency’s Control Center, inoperable. This claim is important in that it leads to the conclusion that Russia “has no control over its own Spy Satellites.”
The claim was made via a tweet posted by Network Battalion 65 or NB65 affiliated with Anonymous. The group said they downloaded and deleted confidential files related to Roscosmos’ satellite imaging and vehicle tracking system.
However, Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin, Director General of the Russian Space Agency, claimed that “all space activity control centers are operating normally”, claiming that the claim has nothing to do with reality. He also described the hacking group as “scammers, petty crooks”. Finally, he said that any hacking of their satellites would be seen as a justification for war.
Metro shared Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET, commenting on the cyberwarfare stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: “We can never underestimate both sides of this cyberwar. Whilst it will be a major setback, it will not be an easy task and will probably take longer than a few days since Anonymous said they were involved. However, there is also a battle with the spread of misinformation on social media, and it’s either way to reduce trust or gain followers “It can work for you. Often times, spreading the word is more powerful than succeeding the operation in question.”
Given the confidential nature of the matter, it is difficult to ascertain the veracity of Anonymous’ claims.
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