Russians Caught Using New iPhone Hacking Tools to Steal Ukrainian Data
Russian hackers targeted iPhone users in Ukraine with advanced tools to steal personal data and potentially cryptocurrency, according to cybersecurity researchers.
Kiev: Hackers connected to the Russian government targeted iPhone users in Ukraine with new hacking tools to steal personal data and possibly cryptocurrency, cybersecurity researchers say.
The hacking group called UNC6353 used a toolkit called Darksword to attack Ukrainians through compromised websites. Researchers from Google and security firms iVerify and Lookout studied these attacks. These attacks are similar to others discovered earlier this month.
Darksword steals passwords, photos, messages from WhatsApp and Telegram, and browser history from iPhones. Unlike other hacking tools, Darksword is designed to quickly infect devices, steal information, and then disappear. It stays on the device for only minutes before vanishing.
The hackers behind Darksword also built it to steal cryptocurrency from popular wallet apps. This unusual feature suggests the group may want financial gain along with spying. Most Russian government hacking groups don’t target cryptocurrency like this.
All signs point to the Russian government being behind these attacks. The hackers targeted websites that people visit from inside Ukraine, so it wasn’t a random attack. Researchers believe the same group also used another hacking tool called Coruna to target Ukrainians earlier this year.