NATO member websites targeted by pro-Russian hackers

The pro-Russian hacking group UserSec said that it's launching a new cyber campaign targeting and defacing websites belonging to NATO member nations.

The gang posted an announcement about the campaign on their official UserSec Telegram channel Friday, as first reported by the threat Intelligence platform @FalconFeedsio.

“I want to announce that in the coming days there will be a massive defacement of the websites of NATO countries. No one country will be affected. We will deface several at once. Glory to Russia!,” the post translates from Russian.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last spring, many pro-Russian hacking outlets have been targeting Western governments and organizations who have aligned in support of the war-torn country, especially those who have offered to provide weapons and strategic support to the Ukrainian military.

Who is UserSec?

In a preview of today's announcement, UserSec teased its followers Thursday to “Be on the lookout for something juicy to begin tomorrow, May 18th, with KillNet.”

“We do not receive orders from the state. UserSec is a group working for the good of Russia. We are attacking Europe, the West, all NATO countries,” another UserSec Telegram post said.

Killnet, one of the more well-known pro-Russian hacking groups, began its own campaign to target NATO last month, and it appears that UserSec is hopping on board.

On April 21st, KillNet leaked the personal information of over 4000 individuals affiliated with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on a separate Telegram channel created specifically for KillNet’s NATO-targeted attacks.

The attack coincided with a visit to Ukraine by the NATO Secretary General.

Days later, KillNet’s leader announced the faction would become a private mercenary group, offering its services for hire to private organizations and state-sponsored entities.

It's not the first time that UserSec has supported KillNet operations.

The group's apparent leader claims to have started as a lone hacker looking to attach to KillNet, joining in on the gang's February DDoS campaign against the US medical sector.

According to UserSec’s encrypted Telegram channel, the group, which established itself in January 2023, is made up of a small number of ordinary civilians, most with less than four years of hacking experience under their belt.

The hacker claims to be "actively developing the UserSec group, mainly hacks and DDoS attacks in Ukraine and NATO." and said the group plans to expand its "capabilities" in the "near distant future."

Another Russian-linked group with ties to Killnet, Anonymous Sudan, has also vowed to support campaigns against NATO members in solidarity.

In February. Anonymous Sudan claimed responsibility for two Valentine’s Day attacks in Sweden as retaliation for protesters burning a copy of the Quran in Stockholm.

Both DDoS attacks knocked out several Swedish media websites for hours, with SAS Airlines' website also affected.

UserSec claims to have jointly supported KillNet attacks alongside Anonymous Sudan.