Hackers Launch Assault on Siberia's Food Industry
In the first half of 2025, Siberia has witnessed a surge in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, affecting various sectors including retail, healthcare, and online services. These attacks have been linked to the exploitation of known vulnerabilities such as the HTTP/2 Rapid Reset flaw, and the growing use of resilient botnets.
According to Mikhail Gorshilin from RED Security, the industry sector in Siberia is experiencing a higher rate of targeted DDoS attacks compared to IT and telecom. Food enterprises, in particular, have been the target of 54% of DDoS attacks on the region's industry.
Experts attribute this increase in DDoS attacks to the accessibility of DDoS attack tools. The rise in hacktivism was particularly evident in May and June, with around 2,200 attacks in Siberia during those months. Notable attacks included record-breaking campaigns leveraging small but powerful botnets susceptible to HTTP/2-related exploits.
While no specific information about the intensity or duration of DDoS attacks against food enterprises was provided, the longest DDoS attack in the Siberian region lasted nearly 20 hours and targeted resources of a Novosibirsk-based telecom company.
The most powerful DDoS attack recorded in the Siberian region was at 385 Gbps. Cybercriminals are increasingly demanding ransom to stop DDoS attacks, according to Mikhail Gorshilin.
The increase in DDoS attacks against food enterprises suggests a broader trend of cybercriminals using economic pressure tactics. DDoS attacks on food enterprises are often aimed at disrupting business processes, unlike mass attacks on IT and telecom.
The industry is experiencing severe economic and operational impacts as a result of these attacks. Businesses face significant downtime costs averaging over $6,000 per minute during DDoS incidents, and many firms report an increase in the frequency and severity of such cyberattacks.
Mikhail Gorshilin from RED Security stated that DDoS attacks are becoming a tool for economic pressure. Nationwide DDoS attacks increased four times compared to the same period last year, reaching 69,000. RED Security mitigated over 4,400 DDoS attacks against organizations in the Siberian Federal District during the first half of 2025.
This rise in DDoS attacks against food enterprises aligns with global trends of increasing cyber threats facilitated by known protocol vulnerabilities and botnet proliferation, severely impacting vulnerable industries such as retail and healthcare.
- What about the impact on lifestyle in Siberia with the rise in DDoS attacks on food enterprises? The interruptions in service could affect the availability of food-and-drink resources, potentially disrupting daily routines.
- The surge in DDoS attacks on food enterprises highlights a concerning aspect of cybersecurity in Siberia, which could have implications for general-news coverage about the region's living conditions.
- With cybercriminals using DDoS attacks for economic pressure, it's worth considering the broader implications for technology in Siberia. If food enterprises are vulnerable, what other sectors could be at risk in terms of crime-and-justice?
