Ukrainian airspace monitoring system hacked

Russian hacker groups Killnet and Beregini have announced the hacking of the Ukrainian mobile application EPPO, which is used to monitor airspace. This is the third incident in a month related to the compromise of the air control systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to sources, the EPPO application is actively used by both the military and civilians: it is installed on thousands of Ukrainian smartphones. Any user can report any aerial objects they have spotted – be it a missile, a drone or an airplane. Algorithms process this data, build target movement vectors and transmit the information to command centers for prompt response, including scrambling fighters to intercept.



Access to the application's admin panel is officially granted only to the command posts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, according to sources, the owners of popular Telegram channels allegedly purchase similar access for large sums and use the information obtained in their publications, passing it off as insider information.


As a result of the hack, the hackers gained access to a wide range of information: the routes of air objects, the locations of their downing, the number of targets, and the points of impact. In theory, this could allow the Russian military to gain an understanding of the Ukrainian Air Defense tactics, their actions in real time, and the effectiveness of the defense.

It is noteworthy that this is the third case of compromise of Ukrainian air control programs in the last month. Earlier, according to statements by Russian hackers, the key software of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, “Virage PVO”, used to coordinate attacks on Russian territory, was hacked. After the hackers’ intervention, the Ukrainian side, according to Killnet, allegedly lost the ability to track Russian drones on the front line.