Belarusian hackers reveal KGB personnel data after retaliatory breach

A Belarusian hacker activist group called Cyber-Partisans claims to have breached the network of the country’s main security agency, formerly known as KGB, and obtained personal data for over 8,600 employees. The organisation has not responded publicly to this allegation; however, its website displayed an empty page on Friday with a message stating that it was “under development”. To back up their claim, Cyber-Partisans shared the administrators’ list of the KGB website, as well as database and server logs through Telegram. The group explained in a statement to The Associated Press from New York City that this attack on the security agency is an act of retaliation against its director Ivan Tertel who publicly accused Cyber-Partisans last week for planning attacks targeting critical infrastructure, including nuclear power plants in Belarus. In addition to sharing confidential details online regarding KGB agents working today under Lukashenko’s regime, the group launched a chatbot on Telegram that would enable individuals to identify these officials by submitting images of them through this platform. The Cyber-Partisans spokesperson Yuliana Shametavets stated: “We want to demonstrate in the digital world how it is impossible for information to be concealed, and truth about political repression will eventually surface.” Last week, Cyber-Partisans alleged that they had accessed computers at Belarus’s largest fertilizer plant with an intention of putting pressure on authorities to release political prisoners. The state-run Grodno Azot company did not issue any statement in response but its website has been down since April 17th, and the organisation is a significant producer for this country that heavily relies upon chemical industries. Belarus witnessed mass protests following an election held in August of 2020 which gave President Alexander Lukashenko his sixth term; however, these elections were criticised by both Western nations as well as opposition parties due to alleged fraudulent activities during the voting process. The authorities responded with arrests and brutal beatings against more than thirty-five thousand people in total. Many top political figures have been arrested since then while others fled abroad for their safety. Currently, almost one hundred forty Belarusians are imprisoned because of political motives as confirmed by Viasna (the oldest rights group within this nation). Its founder Ales Bialiatski won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 but remained a captive in detention during his award’s presentation ceremony. The Cyber-Partisans have conducted significant attacks on state media platforms located in Belarus for more than four years now, and they hijacked control over railway traffic lights as well as the management system of this transportation network three times last year alone; these actions paralysed transit between Russia via Belarus to Ukraine. The group’s spokesperson Yuliana Shametavets stated: “We are telling the authorities that if political repression does not stop, it will get worse.” Cyber-Partisans have vowed to continue with their attacks against Lukashenko’s regime in order to inflict maximum damage upon them.