In a shocking turn of events, Russian hackers have targeted the British Royal Family’s official website, mere days after King Charles publicly criticized the war in Ukraine.
Quick Facts
- Targeted Website: Russian hacktivist group, KillNet, temporarily brought down the royal.uk website, causing panic among Palace cyber experts.
- Attack Details: The site underwent a denial of service attack, overwhelmed by excessive traffic. KillNet soon took credit via the Telegram messaging app.
- Royal Family Stance: The Royals, especially King Charles, have consistently shown their support for Ukraine, particularly since Russia’s invasion the previous year.
The cyber attack on the royal.uk website served as a startling reminder of the dangers online. Not only was the website down for a significant 90 minutes, but the swiftness and severity of the attack have raised concerns about the potential vulnerabilities of other critical websites in the UK. Despite the website’s disruption, palace authorities confirmed that no sensitive data was accessed or stolen.
Russian hackers’ motives were clear, given the timing after King Charles’s vocal disapproval of the war in Ukraine. The Royal Family, particularly King Charles, has been notably sympathetic towards Ukraine. Such pro-Ukraine sentiments peaked when Charles received an ovation in Paris after condemning Russia’s “unprovoked aggression”. This attack signifies the growing audacity of Russian cyber groups targeting entities that publicly oppose their nation’s actions.
Historically, the Royal Family has shown its solidarity with Ukraine in various ways. Significant gestures include King Charles hosting President Volodymyr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace and Prince William visiting the Ukraine-Poland border to express gratitude to the troops. Their consistent support for Ukraine, both in words and actions, stands in stark contrast to the destructive endeavors of hackers who seek to undermine and instill fear.
For Further Reading
| Denial of Service Attack | A Denial of Service (DoS) attack is a cyber attack wherein legitimate users are unable to access information systems, devices, or other network resources due to the actions of a malicious cyber threat actor. This kind of attack overloads systems with superfluous requests, making it inaccessible to users. Wikipedia Link |
Q&A
Why was the royal.uk website targeted?
The royal.uk website was targeted likely in retaliation to King Charles’s recent condemnation of the war in Ukraine, expressing the Royal Family’s support for Ukraine.
Were any sensitive data or personal accounts of the Royal Family compromised?
No, palace officials have confirmed that no sensitive information was stolen or accessed during the attack.
How did the Royal Family react to this cyber attack?
While the Palace didn’t issue an official comment on the matter, they have in the past made efforts to bolster their cyber defenses, indicating the seriousness with which they take such threats.
Original article sourced from The Sun.