Ukraine's air raid alert app hit by apparent hack sending false radiation threat for Kyiv

Ukraine's air raid alert app was apparently hacked on Sunday, briefly sending users a warning that the capital, Kyiv, faced a radiation threat, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Officials moved quickly to say there was no actual danger. In a message on Telegram, the Air Force said: "The Air Alarm application has probably been subjected to hostile interference. There is no radiation threat! Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel." The false alerts began at approximately 22:47 local time (20:47 GMT). The first message, written in Ukrainian, declared: "Radiation threat. Radiation threat declared in Kyiv." A second alert followed a minute later at 22:48, this time in Russian, saying: "Hi! There will be a nuclear alert across Ukraine. Don't worry, it's Oreshnik flying." Two further alerts appeared at 22:49, again in Ukrainian. One warned of a chemical attack on Kyiv and told people not to go outside, while the other claimed street fighting was taking place in the capital. A series of all-clear messages was then delivered to users' phones, individually cancelling each of the earlier threats. Ukraine's Central Intelligence Agency said on Telegram that there had been a failure in the app, and urged people to use other sources of information to clarify the situation regarding the threat of air strikes. In a separate post, the agency said the radiation hazard signal had been played on loudspeaker devices in the Lviv region as a result of the app, adding that there was no threat of radiation hazard. It advised the public to turn on notifications on their smartphones, pay attention to sirens and read only official sources. The governor of Vinnytsia oblast, Natalya Zabolotna, said there had been a cyberattack on the Air Alert app and posted a warning on Telegram telling users not to click on the link in the message. The Air Alert app is supported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and informs users instantly about the beginning and end of defence alerts. Ukrainians are used to reacting to warnings of Russian attacks sent through the app.