On the night of 2 November, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry app, which alerts Russians to air threats, was hit by a cyberattack. Users were sent messages claiming nuclear warheads had been launched on P1-SUN drones.
The ministry said the system had been hacked by “malicious actors”. This came a few hours after users of Ukraine’s official air-raid alert app received fake notifications about successful strikes and a nuclear threat.
“The hacking of the mobile app did not affect and cannot affect the operation of the public warning system. Citizens are alerted through the main channels: regional and municipal warning systems (sirens, loudspeakers), communications networks (SMS distribution), as well as television and radio broadcasting. The mobile app is only an additional auxiliary information service. Specialists at Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry are taking measures to restore the mobile app to normal operation,” the ministry of the aggressor state said.