Hackers belonging to the famous group "Anonymous" breached the cybersecurity of the Central Bank of Russia last Thursday, stealing thousands of secret files and documents from its archives, as announced in a tweet on their @HackRead account. Anonymous also retweeted the message, promising to publish what they stole as a scandal on the internet.
The hackers stated in the tweet that they had accessed the contents of 35,000 documents and files, some of which were categorized as "secret agreements" within the bank, totaling 28 Gigabytes of data. This information has been distributed across dozens of websites, with a warning that if access to the links is censored, new links will be provided for interested parties to view the agreements, communications, financial transfers, and business secrets that Russia conceals from its people.
In a video they released, the hackers threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin, labeling him a "liar, war criminal, and child-killing dictator." They noted that "thousands of civilians have been killed in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, hospitals, schools, and shelters have been destroyed, and children have lost their families." The message continued, "There is no secret, Putin; we are everywhere. In your palace, wherever you eat, and in your bedroom," according to the masked voice behind the typical Anonymous persona in the video shared by "Al Arabiya.net."
The cyber raid on the Central Bank's secret archive comes amid uncertainty and speculation regarding the future of the current bank governor, Elvira Nabiullina, 58, who recently uploaded a video admitting that the Russian economy is in a "difficult" situation. Despite this, Putin has requested the parliament to nominate her for a second term, attempting to quell rumors about her possible resignation and protests against the war, as reported by several Western media outlets, including the British Daily Star on Friday.
Previously, Anonymous warned Western companies still dealing with Russia that they should withdraw or risk facing cyber attacks like those launched against Russian state-controlled media, including the federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor. They also targeted Russian intelligence and internal security, seizing documents that reportedly contained plans for the military campaign in Ukraine and the Kremlin's domestic propaganda strategies.
