Novosibirsk Transportation System Attacked by pro-Ukranian Hacker Group

Pro-Ukrainian hacktivist collective Team OneFist, allegedly created with the help of the IT Army of Ukraine, attacked the Novosibirsk City Transport Traffic Management System in Operation Yellow Submarine beginning at September 2nd, 2022. OneFist's founder, named "Voltage" (@SpoogemanGhost), claimed that the operation was "long-planned" and that the IT infrastructure had been breached about a month before the attack.

Due to the attack, city transportation officials were unable to have visibility over traffic conditions and coordinate their flows. The automated bus scheduling system as well as the electronic signs on buses and trolleys were damaged to hamper quick restoration and recovery. Voltage also explained that the attack paralyzed the city and the traffic problems remained for several days until the system was restored, forcing many commuters to walk. During the attack, Team OneFist downloaded the data and was in the process of deleting data when the Russian officials mitigated the damage by removing access to the system.

Estimated Cost

Traffic scheduling system blocked or damaged. Traffic chaos for 2+ days

Threat Source

Impacts

IT