Russian Hackers Target Royal Family After King Charles Condemns Putin's War Against Ukraine: Report
A Russian hacktivist group targeted the Royal Family this weekend.
Oct. 2 2023, Published 10:30 a.m. ET
A Russian hacktivist group reportedly targeted the Royal Family this weekend after King Charles condemned Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war against Ukraine, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a startling development to come after King Charles condemned Russia’s “unprovoked aggression” towards Ukraine during a Paris speech last month, the pro-Putin hacktivist group Killnet allegedly targeted the Royal Family’s official website.
The pro-Putin hacktivist group Killnet allegedly targeted the Royal Family’s official website on Sunday morning.
According to the Sun, Killnet cut off access to the royal.uk website for roughly two hours on Sunday morning.
“This was a denial of service attack which saw the site bombarded with traffic,” a royal source familiar with the suspected attack said on Sunday.
Those who tried to access the Royal Family’s official website were reportedly met with a message that read, “Gateway time-out error code 504.”
Killnet later claimed responsibility for the suspected attack and bragged about the website incursion on Telegram.
Killnet cut off access to the royal.uk website for roughly two hours on Sunday morning.
The pro-Putin hacktivist group also reportedly added a link to the website which provided information about the monarch and the Royal Family's role in the United Kingdom.
Killnet claimed that the takedown of the website was an "attack on pedophiles.”
Another royal source later clarified that although the Royal Family’s official website was targeted, it was not hacked. The source instead described the incident as a “denial of service attack.”
“It was not hacking because hacking is when the website is compromised and they gain access to the system,” the insider explained. “This was a denial of service attack which saw the site bombarded with traffic.”
Killnet claimed that the takedown of the website was an "attack on pedophiles.”
According to Palace chiefs, no personal accounts belonging to senior members of the Royal Family were hacked and no sensitive information was stolen.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, King Charles and the Royal Family have remained prominent critics of Putin and Russia’s ongoing invasion and war against Ukraine.
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In September, the new monarch received a standing ovation in Paris when he slammed Putin’s “unprovoked aggression” toward the war-torn nation. He also emphasized that “Ukraine must prevail” in the ongoing conflict.
King Charles also hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace in February to discuss Russia’s invasion, while Prince William traveled to the Ukraine-Poland border earlier this year to meet with and thank the Ukrainian troops.
The attack came after King Charles condemned Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
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Meanwhile, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – which consists of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – reportedly warned about Killnet and the group’s hacking capabilities last year.
The hacktivist group is said to be “notorious” for targeting countries that support Ukraine, and the Royal Family reportedly “bolstered” its cyber defenses in recent months in anticipation of a potential cyberattack.
The Royal Family was also reportedly warned that it was at a “high risk” of being targeted by cybercriminals and that a potential attack would likely focus on “Reputational damage, penalties and/or legal action against the Household or staff.”
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