Kalashnikov Concern Hacked By Cyber Forces of Ukraine

Records and Trade Secrets shared with Western Intelligence services

Kalashnikov’s Kamakazi Drone is a “flying minefield”

The Kalashnikov Concern has had its servers hacked by a Cyber unit of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service and over three terabytes of data has been downloaded for analysis, which included everything from technical specifications of their civilian and military weapons to all of their financial data including off-shore shell companies, bank accounts, and customers (both licit and illicit).

This happened just three months after the company replaced its Director of Cybersecurity.

The data dump has been shared with the Intelligence services of its Western allies including the U.S. and U.K.

Kalashnikov Concern was put on the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctions list in 2014 for “undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty.

About Kalashnikov Concern

According to TADVISOR, the Kalashnikov Concern is the largest Russian developer and manufacturer of combat automatic and sniper weapons, guided artillery shells, a wide range of civilian products: hunting rifles, sporting rifles, machine tools and tools. The company's civilian product segment includes hunting rifles, sporting rifles, machine tools and tools. 51 percent of the concern's shares are owned by the state corporation Rostec , 49 percent were bought out by private investors. Kalashnikov products are supplied to more than 27 countries around the world.

“Sotnik” Next-Gen Soldier Body Armor

Last April, Rostec transferred the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIITOCHMASH) to Kalashnikov Concern to save money and combine competencies. TsNIITOCHMASH is responsible for developing the tech for Russia’s Soldier of the Future program known as “Sotnik”.

The Concern has expanded into drones for warfighting and surveillance.

ZALA 421-16EV HD

The Zala 421-16EV drone is for monitoring hard-to-reach areas. It can stream HD video with very high resolution. The manufacturer, Zala Aero, is a subsidiary of Kalashnikov Concern.

Lancet Kamakazi Drone

The Lancet Kamakazi drone is for use against small vessels and ground forces. It’s equipped with a high explosive fragmentation warhead weighing only 1kg, and a take-off weight of only 5kg. It can “prowl for hours in the sky” until a target is identified and deployed against.

FILES

Most of the files obtained in the breach are in the possession of the Ukrainian government, however, the files containing names and phone numbers of Kalashnikov Concern management and affiliates are available for download.