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CyberBerkut
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<h2 id="background">Background</h2> <p>The group emerged after the dissolution of <a href="/facts/Berkut_(special_police_force)/a4l9Hr4A">special police force "Berkut"</a> that became notorious for its violent repression used during the <a href="/facts/EuroMaidan/m41YETnk">EuroMaidan</a> demonstrations.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The group is anonymous. Their proclaimed goals are fighting against <a href="/facts/Neo-fascism/tBn1GkGG">neo-fascism</a>, <a href="/facts/Neo-nationalism/lEhrYPmL">neo-nationalism</a> and <a href="/facts/Arbitrary_power/WpzSRcND">arbitrary power</a> in <a href="/facts/Ukraine/Qof0uqAj">Ukraine</a>. To further this aim, CyberBerkut activists targeted the "<a href="/facts/Right_Sector/Ajrpouxq">Right Sector</a>" IT resources. CyberBerkut targets included <a href="/facts/NATO/dCeTddMY">NATO</a>, and its allies.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="activity">Activity</h2> <ul><li>Attacks on <a href="/facts/NATO/dCeTddMY">NATO</a> websites.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a></li> <li>Attacks on U.S. private military companies.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a></li> <li>Publication of correspondence of deputies of (political parties) <a href="/facts/Batkivshchyna/wSC9XdAr">Batkivshchyna</a> and <a href="/facts/Ukrainian_Democratic_Alliance_for_Reform/juBlWUy9">Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a></li> <li>Publication of correspondence with the <a href="/facts/Embassy_of_the_United_States,_Kyiv/Qeod0xpz">United States Embassy in Ukraine</a> and United States <a href="/facts/Foundation_(United_States_law)/6l7u88d8">foundations</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li> <li>Disclosure to public of telephone recording between <a href="/facts/Yulia_Tymoshenko/PK1ABMXJ">Yulia Tymoshenko</a> and <a href="/facts/Nestor_Shufrych/0r5IGvlb">Nestor Shufrych</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a></li> <li>Disclosure to public of telephone recording between <a href="/facts/High_Representative_of_the_Union_for_Foreign_Affairs_and_Security_Policy/Lqb5Joc1">EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs</a> <a href="/facts/Catherine_Ashton/ucSyGAkC">Catherine Ashton</a> and <a href="/facts/Minister_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Estonia)/JUSmjl0R">Foreign Minister</a> of <a href="/facts/Estonia/PVjB16TI">Estonia</a> <a href="/facts/Urmas_Paet/snRtV3PA">Urmas Paet</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a></li> <li>Blocking <a href="/facts/Cellular_phone/H3EcqD9h">cellular phones</a> of members of the <a href="/facts/First_Yatsenyuk_Government/p85Bh66p">Yatsenyuk Government</a> and persons close to them.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a></li> <li>Blocking Internet resources of Secretary of the <a href="/facts/National_Security_and_Defence_Council_of_Ukraine/bImudrg8">National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine</a> <a href="/facts/Andriy_Parubiy/1XppE1FF">Andriy Parubiy</a> and news portals: LigaBusinessInform and <a href="/facts/Ukrainian_Independent_Information_Agency/4Y96U9s0">Ukrainian Independent Information Agency</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a></li> <li>Publication of video materials that are blocked on <a href="/facts/YouTube/db276jst">YouTube</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a></li> <li>Attempts at disrupting the recruitment of the <a href="/facts/National_Guard_of_Ukraine/0WUKV8tF">National Guard of Ukraine</a>.</li> <li>Attempted destruction of the electronic system of the <a href="/facts/Central_Election_Commission_of_Ukraine/I4mdX8oI">Central Election Commission of Ukraine</a> prior to the <a href="/facts/2014_Ukrainian_presidential_election/KvIJdLqY">2014 Ukrainian presidential election</a>.</li> <li>Publishing lists of alleged Ukrainian military deserters</li> <li>Attempts at disrupting the work of the <a href="/facts/Central_Election_Commission_of_Ukraine/I4mdX8oI">Central Election Commission of Ukraine</a> by damaging the IFES system before the elections and blocking cellphones of their organisators.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a></li> <li>Temporary disruption of the websites of the <a href="/facts/Ministry_of_Internal_Affairs_(Ukraine)/neILIV4t">Ministry of Internal Affairs</a> and the <a href="/facts/General_Prosecutor_of_Ukraine/EIRvbGH0">General Prosecutor of Ukraine</a>. Websites of TV channels <a href="/facts/1%2B1_(channel)/u57Qwo8Y">1+1</a> and <a href="/facts/Inter_(TV_channel)/KV6nnyX6">Inter</a> were also temporary disrupted .</li> <li>Email hacking and publication of the conversation between <a href="/facts/Ihor_Kolomoyskyi/P2pv0kdr">Ihor Kolomoyskyi</a> and the persecutor of the <a href="/facts/Lviv_Oblast/CJQPPFk5">Lviv Oblast</a>, hacking of the computer and email of a person related to Ihor Kolomoyskiy.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> Archives of the contents of 89 email accounts of Lviv oblast's prosecutor office employees.</li> <li>Hacking and publishing of the Minister of Internal Affairs <a href="/facts/Arsen_Avakov_(politician)/23CTausF">Arsen Avakov</a>'s conversation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a></li> <li>Blocking of the website of the President of Ukraine <a href="/facts/Petro_Poroshenko/mtrJtFhN">Petro Poroshenko</a> on 29 June 2014.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a></li> <li>Publication of the real name and biography of <a href="/facts/Semen_Semenchenko/hNYAQJll">Semen Semenchenko</a> – Konstantin Grishin.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a></li> <li>Hacking of the <a href="/facts/German_Chancellery/tFt6NdvQ">German Chancellery</a> and the German <a href="/facts/Bundestag/RN6CPKa2">Bundestag</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a></li> <li>Hacked U.S. Senator <a href="/facts/John_McCain/faE5g7r7">John McCain</a>'s computers during a visit to Ukraine in 2015 and released a video depicting a fake ISIS beheading video being filmed<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a></li></ul> <p>The group also publishes pro-<a href="/facts/Donetsk_People%27s_Republic/zVB41kKB">Donetsk People's Republic</a> videos.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a> In one of them it is claimed that <a href="/facts/Security_Service_of_Ukraine/U8Ej1QFF">Ukrainian security forces</a> are living under a "<a href="/facts/Jewish/T9Y4wE6A">Jewish</a> occupation".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="response">Response</h2> <ul><li>Repeated blocking of CB's <a href="/facts/Facebook/0IhXFR6u">Facebook</a> pages, although new ones have been made on the following day .</li> <li>Likely in response to attacking the websites of <a href="/facts/Academi/wKg2HCbd">Greystone Limited</a> and <a href="/facts/Triple_Canopy/mJVe4kYh">Triple Canopy</a>, CyberBerkut's websites have been temporarily disrupted. The websites started to work again on the following day.</li> <li>Arrests of people suspected in relation to CyberBerkut.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30"><sup>30</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Hacktivism/Pf2eep2m">Hacktivism</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Internet_activism/n8wzzxom">Internet activism</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Hacker_(term)/bhg519lj">Hacker (term)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Denial-of-service_attack/6nkoK02J">Denial-of-service attack</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Trolls_from_Olgino/wet8BHDm">Trolls from Olgino</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Anonymous_(group)/Qm7Nqlro">Anonymous (group)</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140707035405/http://www.cyber-berkut.net/">Official website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cyberberkut3">CyberBerkut</a> on <a href="/facts/Facebook_(identifier)/0IhXFR6u">Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://x.com/CyberBerkut">CyberBerkut</a> on <a href="/facts/Twitter/VWwDNGUm">Twitter</a> </li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Inside a pro-Russia propaganda machine in Ukraine, BBC News (13 November 2017) <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Ukraine conflict: Hackers take sides in virtual war". BBC News. 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2020-10-20. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30453069" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30453069</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Sherman, Justin. "Russia's Cyber Threat to Ukraine Is Vast—and Underestimated". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-06-06. <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/russias-cyber-threat-to-ukraine-is-vast-and-underestimated/" target="_blank">https://www.wired.com/story/russias-cyber-threat-to-ukraine-is-vast-and-underestimated/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Ukraine's Berkut police: What makes them special?, BBC News (25 February 2014) <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25895716" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25895716</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Wagstyl, Stefan (7 January 2015). "Ukraine separatists claim cyber attack on German government sites". Financial Times. <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/08270324-9678-11e4-a40b-00144feabdc0" target="_blank">https://www.ft.com/content/08270324-9678-11e4-a40b-00144feabdc0</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"NATO websites targeted in attack claimed by Ukrainian hacker group Cyber Berkut". ABC News. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-16/nato-websites-targeted-in-attack-claimed-by-ukrainian-hackers/5324362" target="_blank">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-16/nato-websites-targeted-in-attack-claimed-by-ukrainian-hackers/5324362</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>jenny. "Ukrainian Hacker Group CyberBerkut Launched a DDoS-attack on NATO". revolution-news.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150224122154/http://revolution-news.com/ukrainian-hacker-group-cyberberkut-launched-ddos-attack-nato/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20150224122154/http://revolution-news.com/ukrainian-hacker-group-cyberberkut-launched-ddos-attack-nato/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"CyberBerkut takes vengeance on American private military com". Pastebin. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="http://pastebin.com/5vv7HK8K" target="_blank">http://pastebin.com/5vv7HK8K</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Anonymous Ukraine Claims to hack and leak secret email conversations of Vitali Klitschko's UDAR party". HackRead. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="http://hackread.com/anonymous-ukraine-hacks-leaks-udar-email/" target="_blank">http://hackread.com/anonymous-ukraine-hacks-leaks-udar-email/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Jeffrey Carr. "Digital Dao". Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="http://jeffreycarr.blogspot.com/2014/03/cyber-berkut-and-anonymous-ukraine-co.html" target="_blank">http://jeffreycarr.blogspot.com/2014/03/cyber-berkut-and-anonymous-ukraine-co.html</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Телефонный разговор между Шуфричем и Тимошенко. 18 марта 2014 года в 23:17 по украинскому времени". YouTube. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEFCmJ-VGhA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEFCmJ-VGhA</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Tymoshenko claimed that the recording had been deliberately edited to discredit her.[12] <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Piret Pernik: teine taktika, sama strateegia (in Estonian) <a href="http://arvamus.postimees.ee/2747504/piret-pernik-teine-taktika-sama-strateegia" target="_blank">http://arvamus.postimees.ee/2747504/piret-pernik-teine-taktika-sama-strateegia</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Eduard Kovacs (17 March 2014). "Three NATO Websites Disrupted by Ukrainian Hackers of Cyber Berkut". softpedia. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="http://news.softpedia.com/news/Three-NATO-Websites-Disrupted-by-Ukrainian-Hackers-of-Cyber-Berkut-432419.shtml" target="_blank">http://news.softpedia.com/news/Three-NATO-Websites-Disrupted-by-Ukrainian-Hackers-of-Cyber-Berkut-432419.shtml</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>NATO websites hit in cyber attack linked to Crimea tension. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-nato-idUSBREA2E0T320140316" target="_blank">https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-nato-idUSBREA2E0T320140316</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Inside a pro-Russia propaganda machine in Ukraine, BBC News (13 November 2017) <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"На сайте проводят регламентные работы технического характера в преддверии дня выборов. Такие работы проводились и ранее, в прошлые выборы. Работы проводятся, чтобы увеличить работоспособность сайта и увеличить его скорость", — сообщил РИА Новости пресс-секретарь комиссии Константин Хивренко. <a href="/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%98%D0%90_%D0%9D%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8" target="_blank">/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%98%D0%90_%D0%9D%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"CNews: Õàêåðû çàÿâèëè îá óíè÷òîæåíèè ÈÒ-ñèñòåìû ÖÈÊ Óêðàèíû çà 2 äíÿ äî âûáîðîâ ïðåçèäåíòà". CNews.ru. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="https://www.cnews.ru/top/2014/05/23/hakery_zayavili_ob_unichtozhenii_itsistemy_cik_ukrainy_za_2_dnya_do_vyborov_prezidenta_573024" target="_blank">https://www.cnews.ru/top/2014/05/23/hakery_zayavili_ob_unichtozhenii_itsistemy_cik_ukrainy_za_2_dnya_do_vyborov_prezidenta_573024</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>""КиберБеркут": Коломойский спонсировал части Нацгвардии на юго-востоке". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2017. <a href="http://ria.ru/world/20140525/1009264501.html" target="_blank">http://ria.ru/world/20140525/1009264501.html</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>""Life.ru" — информационный портал". Life.ru. Retrieved 2 August 2017. <a href="http://lifenews.ru/news/133816" target="_blank">http://lifenews.ru/news/133816</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>"КиберБеркут утверждает: на Украине готовится военный переворот". Retrieved 2 August 2017. <a href="http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1529212&cid=520" target="_blank">http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1529212&cid=520</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>правды», Дарья ИВАШКИНА | Сайт «Комсомольской (22 April 2014). "Хакеры заявили, что взломали переписку Авакова об убийстве Сашко Билого". kp.ru -. Retrieved 2 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) <a href="http://www.kp.ru/daily/26222/3105944/" target="_blank">http://www.kp.ru/daily/26222/3105944/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>"ТАСС: Международная панорама - Организация "Киберберкут" заблокировала сайт президента Украины". ТАСС. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="http://itar-tass.com/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/1347229" target="_blank">http://itar-tass.com/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/1347229</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>"Хакеры узнали настоящее имя командира батальона "Донбасс"". Вести.ру. 30 July 2014. <a href="http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1852258&cid=9" target="_blank">http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1852258&cid=9</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:25"><p>Cyber-Angriff auf Kanzleramt und Bundestag, Die Welt, 7 January 2015. <a href="https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article136114277/Cyber-Angriff-auf-Kanzleramt-und-Bundestag.html" target="_blank">https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article136114277/Cyber-Angriff-auf-Kanzleramt-und-Bundestag.html</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:26"><p>Wagstyl, Stefan (7 January 2015). "Ukraine separatists claim cyber attack on German government sites". Financial Times. <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/08270324-9678-11e4-a40b-00144feabdc0" target="_blank">https://www.ft.com/content/08270324-9678-11e4-a40b-00144feabdc0</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:27"><p>"McCain: Russian Internet trolls say I staged ISIS executions". 13 July 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2024. <a href="https://www.jpost.com/not-just-news/mccain-russian-internet-trolls-say-i-staged-isis-executions-408830" target="_blank">https://www.jpost.com/not-just-news/mccain-russian-internet-trolls-say-i-staged-isis-executions-408830</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:28"><p>Inside a pro-Russia propaganda machine in Ukraine, BBC News (13 November 2017) <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295</a> <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:29"><p>Inside a pro-Russia propaganda machine in Ukraine, BBC News (13 November 2017) <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41915295</a> <a href="#fnref:29" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:30"><p>"СБУ задержала организацию хакеров "Киберберкут" - за попытку срыва выборов президента". finance.ua. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140527220239/http://news.finance.ua/ru/~/1/0/all/2014/05/25/326517" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20140527220239/http://news.finance.ua/ru/~/1/0/all/2014/05/25/326517</a> <a href="#fnref:30" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>