Hackers Create Fake Ukrainian Army Brigade Websites and Air-Raid Alert Apps to Hack Smartphones

Hackers are creating fake websites that impersonate Ukrainian army brigades and air-raid alert apps to gain access to Apple (iOS) and Android smartphones.

This was reported in the Cyber Threats: Ukraine report covering the first half of 2026, published by Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection.

Experts say that mobile devices have now become a major target for cybercriminals.

Hackers are increasingly using smartphones for reconnaissance. If an attack is successful, they can gain full access to sensitive data.

Experts have also identified the use of the DarkSword exploit kit, which can secretly infect Apple devices through compromised Ukrainian news and government websites.

For Android users, hackers are creating fake websites that impersonate official military brigade websites or air-raid alert apps.

Hackers are also using legitimate services to conceal their activities.

They upload malicious files to GitHub, use Telegram to transfer stolen data, and hide their network activity using services such as Cloudflare and ngrok.

The Security Service of Ukraine has recorded a significant increase in Russian intelligence efforts to create websites and social media pages that imitate the official resources of Ukrainian government agencies and media outlets.

Russian intelligence services use this method, among other purposes, to collect confidential information about users who follow these fake social media pages and subscribe to channels on messaging platforms.

The SSU said that Russian operatives use the information they obtain to carry out recruitment operations and gather confidential information about the combat and operational activities of Ukraine’s Defense and Security Forces.

As previously reported, the Russian hacking group Midnight Blizzard used Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence to automate cyberespionage operations targeting Ukraine and European countries.