According to Ukrinform, the head of the SBU Cyber ​​Security Department, Ilya Vityuk, said this in an interview with the Reuters agency.

According to Vityuk, the cyber attack by the Sandworm hacker group on Kyivstar on December 12 destroyed “almost everything”, including thousands of virtual servers and computers. He said this was the first example of a devastating cyberattack that “completely destroyed the core of a telecommunications operator.”

“So far we can say with certainty that they have been in the system at least since May 2023. I cannot say now when they gained full access: probably at least since November,” he said.

According to SBU estimates, hackers can steal personal information, locate phones, intercept SMS messages and possibly hijack accounts on the Telegram social network.

Vityuk assured that SBU investigators are continuing to work to determine the attackers’ method of infiltrating the Kyivstar system or what type of Trojan horse software was used for the attack, adding that it could be phishing, help from someone from the company or something else. Another.

Let us remind you that on the morning of December 12, the operator “Kyivstar” became the target of a powerful hacker attack, which led to a technical malfunction. Communication and internet access services became unusable. The company assured that subscribers’ personal data will not be compromised.