May 2, 2023
The European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EOSAN), commonly referred to as Eurocontrol, announced that a pro-Russian hacker organization called Killnet conducted a cyberattack on its website. Although the attack disrupted access to the site, there were no delays or threats to air traffic.
Killnet declared that they were behind the assault and issued a warning that they would interfere with the agency’s operations for 100 hours. The group titled a set of posts regarding the attack “Goodbye Eurocontrol😇.” Killnet also mentioned that despite appearing harmless, Eurocontrol was a part of the NATO organization. The group added, “⚡️So today we will bring great inconvenience to all European airlines!”
Killnet specializes in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. They flood targets with spam internet traffic, preventing legitimate users from using online services. While the cyberattack did not compromise the air traffic control agency’s internal systems, it was forced to advise travelers to use alternate methods of filing flight plans, and some airlines were forced to rely on commercial solutions to manage their flights.
The DDoS assault also damaged the organization’s internal and external communication systems, making them inaccessible to at least 2,000 Eurocontrol personnel.
The sources for this piece include an article in CPOMAGAZINE.
