Business Insider23 hours ago·3 min read·medium

Fake nuclear attack alerts hit millions of Ukrainians and Russians on the same day

✦AI Summary

Millions of users in Ukraine and Russia received false nuclear attack alerts on their official government apps due to suspected cyberattacks. Both nations blamed the other for the breach, which included warnings about missiles and radiation threats.

Why it matters

The use of cyber warfare to manipulate civilian alert systems highlights the vulnerability of digital infrastructure during active conflicts and the psychological impact of misinformation.

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Ukrainians, such as those sheltering here in August, rely on air raid alert apps to warn of incoming drone and missile attacks. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images Ukrainians and Russians both received nuclear attack scares on their official alert apps. The false alerts warned of nuclear attacks via Russia's Oreshnik missile and small Ukrainian drones. Both sides said their systems were breached by cyberattacks. Official alert apps in Ukraine and Russia sent out false nuclear-threat warnings to millions of users on Sunday, as both sides said their systems were compromised. Ukraine's air raid alert app is used by 6.7 million people, according to its digital transformation ministry and the app's developer, Ajax Systems. Ukraine was hit first by the fake alerts, with its air raid warning app sending out messages in Ukrainian just before midnight of a "radiation threat in Kyiv."

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