Russian Water Utility Hacked in Retaliation for Kyivstar Hit

According to reports, operations at Moscow-based water utility and management company Rosvodokanal are no longer flowing, following a cyberattack by the Ukraine-aligned "Blackjack" group.

The hackers, with the help of the cyber specialists from the Security Service of Ukraine, were able to "demolish" Rosvodokanal's IT infrastructure, according to Ukraine Pravda. Law enforcement sources told the media outlet the cyberattackers deleted more than 50TB of data, which included internal document management, corporate email, backups, and even cybersecurity protections.

Ukraine security services are currently reviewing 1.5TB of data exfiltrated from the water utility, the report added.

The cyberattack against Rosvodokanal was reportedly in retaliation for a destructive cyberattack on Ukraine's largest mobile telecommunications service provider, Kyivstar, on Dec. 12. The compromise blacked out communications across Ukraine and was the most devastating attack on the country's critical infrastructure since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Reports on Dec. 20 said the Rosvodokanal utility was still inoperable.