Aeroflot Now Stabilizes Operations After Major Cyberattack, Dozens Of Flights Canceled And Delayed: Read More For Latest Updates

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Russian authorities hose Aeroflot was paralysed fewer days backmost by a large-scale cyber onslaught which put its machine strategy retired of action. Dozens of flights were canceled and respective others delayed, leaving passengers stranded astatine Sheremetyevo Airport successful Moscow. The attack, which deed nan web of Aeroflot, nan Russian carrier, was claimed by 2 hacking groups, including nan Belarusian Cyber Partisans. The onslaught led to extended disruption, though nan hose has now said that operations are getting backmost to normal.

Aeroflot’s Recovery and Initial Impact

Aeroflot promptly stated it was successful power of nan situation. The bearer returned overmuch of its formation schedule to action, and galore day and evening departures were expected to proceed arsenic scheduled. But formation cancellations still plagued travelers, particularly into Tuesday morning. The bearer said location were 31 inbound flights affected, pinch astir cancellations astatine nighttime and successful nan early hours of Monday morning.

Despite nan deed to its operations, shares successful Aeroflot were up by 1.36 per cent connected Tuesday, indicating immoderate optimism astir nan carrier’s prospects for recovery. The Russian Transport Ministry said successful a connection nan problem had been quickly resolved pinch nan thief of airdrome workers astatine Sheremetyevo, crediting their support. The ministry called nan rumor an “IT failure,” and did not instantly place nan business arsenic a cyberattack.

Hackers and Cyberattack Details

Two hacking groups, nan Belarusian Cyber Partisans and a much mysterious statement identified arsenic Silent Crow, took in installments for nan cyberattack. The attack, according to nan hackers, was portion of a one-year cognition to penetrate Aeroflot’s IT system. They claimed to person breached 7,023 servers, accessed delicate accusation astir passengers and labor and “control(led)” nan individual systems of galore of nan carrier’s astir elder executives.

The groups besides disclosed troubling information holes successful Aeroflot’s systems. The airline’s CEO reportedly hadn’t updated his password since 2020, and immoderate unit saved passwords successful unencrypted Word documents connected their individual devices. The hackers besides noted that Aeroflot was utilizing an antiquated type of Windows software. These weaknesses made nan hose a unfortunate of hackers, though galore specialists judge that this information incident could person been prevented if nan cybersecurity posture of nan institution would person been astatine nan due level.

Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow

The hacker corporate Belarusian Cyber Partisans is believed to beryllium down galore of nan cyberattacks connected Russian authorities institutions. (Colonica members person been captious of President Alexander Lukashenko’s authorities successful Belarus and person employed cyberattacks arsenic a shape of pushback.) Their information successful nan Aeroflot leak is nan latest sensational action successful their cyber warfare directed astatine Putin and nan authorities of Belarus.

Another, newer group, Silent Crow, besides said it was responsible for nan attack. The group, which remains shrouded successful mystery, has been linked to a number of cyberattacks against state-controlled targets. The attacker was highly skilled, had precocious knowledge of nan soul systems of Aeroflot and was capable to deed circumstantial systems of nan airline’s network, experts said.

How Governments and Experts Have Responded to nan Cyberattack

Russian lawmakers person deemed it a “wake-up call” for nan country’s cybersecurity readiness. Mikhail Klimarev, nan caput of nan Internet Protection Society, said it is captious to show nan vulnerabilities successful Russia’s infrastructure. The onslaught underscored nan urgency of bolstering cybersecurity to debar early breaches and let Russian companies to antagonistic world cyber threats, he said.

Klimarev stressed that nan Russian cybersecurity services were incapable to forestall nan attack, which demonstrated nan difficulties cybercrime from overseas presented. This tin beryllium compared to a business wherever firms lacking nan due cybersecurity connection strategy are incapable to take sides themselves successful an attack. Klimarev cited nan existing sanctions against Russia arsenic a reason, that limits nan capacity of nan state to comply pinch nan wide world level successful cybersecurity.

The Future of Aeroflot’s Security

In nan aftermath of nan hack, Aeroflot astir apt has had to restructure and heighten its cyber-security systems. The determination to switch nan systems pinch home would propose that nan hose is astatine slightest reasoning of pulling nan plug connected foreign-made technology. This modification will beryllium expensive, time-consuming and, astatine nan aforesaid time, nan hose is doing everything imaginable not to person these incidents hap again.

Hacking groups’ assertions that nan hose had to edifice to manual systems are nan latest successful a drawstring of reminders astir nan information risks that tin beryllium associated pinch IT strategy crashes. Failures for illustration these are not conscionable a symptom successful nan ass, but they’re expensive, financially and brand-wise. Now, Aeroflot will person to spell to awesome lengths to stay a reliable bearer and guarantee that specified violations won’t beryllium repeated.

Bottom Line

Although Aeroflot has since restored bid aft nan cyberassault, nan incident raises superior questions astir nan airline’s cybersecurity and its expertise to withstand nan much technologically precocious of attacks. The engagement of world hacker unions specified arsenic nan Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow shows that nan world consequence of cybercrime successful aviation is progressively obivous.

While nan investigation into nan incident carries connected and nan hose responds successful enhancing security, nan passengers should show immoderate much disruptions. Aeroflot has promised to reenforce its IT system, but nan onslaught is an ominous illustration of nan vulnerabilities that stay successful truthful galore hose systems astir nan world.