Cyber Incident Victim: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

On March 22, 2018, the Russian Defense Ministry’s website experienced seven distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks during the final phase of an online vote to name new types of Russian weaponry. The ministry characterized the attacks as "massive" and confirmed they occurred while the public was selecting names for advanced domestic military systems. Despite the sustained assault, the website remained operational throughout the voting process. The attacks specifically targeted the platform hosting the naming initiative, though the ministry did not disclose technical details regarding attack volume or specific vulnerabilities exploited. No data breaches or unauthorized access incidents were reported in connection with the DDoS activity. The ministry’s public statement emphasized the timing coincided with the concluding stage of the weapon-naming campaign, a highly publicized initiative following President Vladimir Putin’s earlier announcements about new strategic weapons systems.

The Russian Defense Ministry attributed the attacks to sources in Ukraine, Western Europe, and North America, though it provided no specific evidence or attribution to particular groups or nations. All seven attacks were successfully mitigated by the ministry’s cybersecurity teams, preventing extended disruption to the voting process. The website maintained functionality, allowing the public vote to proceed as scheduled. No collateral damage to other ministry systems or networks was reported. The ministry’s announcement framed the incident as an attempt to disrupt public engagement with its military modernization efforts but confirmed the attack had no material impact on the naming initiative’s outcome. Following the incident, the ministry did not disclose any retaliatory measures or changes to its cybersecurity posture beyond asserting the attacks had been neutralized.