The attack resulted in:
- Disabled ticket payment and validation systems,
- Non-functional computers for cashiers and dispatchers,
- Damaged servers and network equipment,
- Disrupted dispatching systems on the Moscow-Tver line.
Spravdi reported that this threatens to halt rail connections between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia’s two largest cities.
Daily losses for the company are estimated at a minimum of 20 million rubles ($249,462), with additional losses for businesses whose employees cannot commute. Recovery could take days or weeks, with total damages estimated between $3 million and $10 million.
Spravdi noted this is the second major cyberattack on Moscow’s transport infrastructure in two weeks, following a July 28 attack that crippled Aeroflot’s IT systems.
On Aug. 1, it was reported that Belarusian cyberpartisans had published the flight data of Sergei Alexandrovsky, CEO of Russia's largest airline Aeroflot, and confirmed that they had gained access to the personal data of the company's customers.
Earlier, Russia's state media watchdog Roskomnadzor said it had not confirmed the information about a possible leak of Aeroflot data. After the hack, the cyber partisans wrote that the successful penetration of the airline's IT systems was largely made possible by the fact that some of the company's employees neglected password security. In particular, Alexandrovsky had not changed his password since 2022.
On July 28, it was reported that one of the reasons for the hack of the IT system of Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline, was the password of CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky, which had not been changed since 2022.
The operation was made possible by the fact that the company was using old versions of Windows, and some employees neglected password security.
On the morning of July 28, Aeroflot canceled 42 flights due to a malfunction in its information systems. The airline's press service announced the cancellation of flights from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, in particular to Yekaterinburg, Minsk, and St. Petersburg.
The Belarusian hacker groups Silent Crow and Cyberpartisans BY claimed responsibility for the attack on Aeroflot.