Ukraine air-raid app apparently hacked with false radiation alerts
Ukraine's Air Force says the Air Alarm app was apparently hacked, briefly showing false radiation and chemical threats in Kyiv and triggering sirens in Lviv.
The story in focus
Ukraine's Air Force said the Air Alarm app was apparently hacked on Sunday, briefly displaying false radiation, chemical, and street-fighting threats in Kyiv. The agency said there is no radiation threat and urged calm, while the Central Intelligence Agency reported a failure and advised using official sources.
- The Air Alarm app apparently was hacked, the Ukrainian Air Force said, and briefly showed a radiation threat for Kyiv.
- False alerts beginning around 22:47 included radiation, nuclear, chemical, and street-fighting warnings, BBC reported.
- The Air Force said there is no radiation threat and urged the public to stay calm and follow official updates.
- The Ukrainian Central Intelligence Agency reported a failure in the app and advised using other sources to clarify air-strike threats.
- The Lviv region played a radiation hazard signal on loudspeakers, and the Vinnytsia governor reported a cyberattack.
False alerts and official response
Ukraine's Air Force said the Air Alarm app was apparently hacked on Sunday and for a short time indicated Kyiv faced a radiation threat. Messages in Ukrainian and Russian began around 22:47, BBC reported, and included radiation, nuclear, chemical, and street-fighting warnings before all-clear messages followed.
The Air Force said there was no radiation threat and told the public to stay calm and follow its updates. The Ukrainian Central Intelligence Agency described a failure in the app and advised people to use other sources to clarify the threat of air strikes.
Regional effects and public guidance
The Central Intelligence Agency said the Radiation Hazard signal was played on loudspeaker devices in the Lviv region and reiterated that there was no radiation hazard. It advised the public to enable smartphone notifications, pay attention to sirens, and read only official sources.
The governor of Vinnytsia oblast, Natalya Zabolotna, said there had been a cyberattack on the Air Alert app and warned on Telegram not to click on a link in the message. The app, supported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, informs users about the start and end of defence alerts.
What did the Ukrainian Air Force say about the Air Alarm app?
The Air Force said the app was apparently hacked and briefly showed a radiation threat for Kyiv. It stated there was no radiation threat and urged calm and official updates.
Sources & further reading
- Ukraine air raid app apparently hacked as users receive false radiation threat, Air Force says ↗BBC News
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