Russia uses AI in cyberattacks against Ukraine, Europe, targeting WhatsApp accounts, government ministries, Anthropic says
"A common theme of the targeting was Ukraine and military drone technology providers and supply chains," Anthropic wrote in a report on countering AI misuse.
Anthropic revealed in a September 10 report that Russia has been leveraging Claude AI in cyberattacks targeting Ukraine and Europe. The primary victims were members of the Ukrainian government, military, and diplomatic staff. The hackers scanned email services and remote access systems across over two dozen Ukrainian government organizations.
Russian state-sponsored hacking group Midnight Blizzard ramped up their operations by automating tasks with AI, as identified by the report. A Russian speaker known as JackPoterz, believed to be linked to Midnight Blizzard, executed the attacks. Targets included military intelligence, diplomatic and defense organizations, and individuals associated with U.S. foreign policy.
The hacker also gained control of victims' WhatsApp accounts, employing headless browsers to mask their activities and export conversations. At least two former high-level Ukrainian officials were targeted. The actor utilized AI to detect and adapt to security defenses, autonomously modifying malware to evade existing detections.
More than 20 organizations were targeted in the actor's planning, reconnaissance, and live operations, including government ministries, defense and intelligence bodies, embassies, diplomatic missions, think tanks, and defense-industrial companies. The attacks focused on Ukraine and military drone technology providers, extending to the Middle East and Asia.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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