Developer of hacked Emergency Situations Ministry app bought cyberattack protection equipment from ex-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev's son...

Developer of hacked Emergency Situations Ministry app bought cyberattack protection equipment from the son of former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev

The Emergency Situations Ministry's Information and Analytical Center (IAC), which is responsible for maintaining the “EMERCOM of Russia” mobile app hacked today, bought cyberattack protection equipment from a company owned by the son of former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev, Verstka found.

The contract to supply protection against hacking was signed on August 26, according to data from the government procurement portal. The documents show that the IAC ordered a hardware and software firewall system.

The system's specifications indicate that it is a comprehensive corporate network security system consisting of several modules. These include an intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS), an application recognition and control system (Application Control), and tools for analyzing encrypted connections (SSL/TLS Inspection). The system also provides antivirus scanning of files and VPN connections.

The ministry's IAC was prepared to spend 8.9 million rubles on the system. Only one company, Esa Pro JSC, submitted a bid. The contract was ultimately awarded to it at the tender's listed price — with no reduction from the original cost.

Esa Pro is a subsidiary of Cross Technologies, an information security company. In March this year, Andrei Patrushev, the son of former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev, acquired a stake in Cross Technologies, RBC reported. According to the outlet's sources, Patrushev's stake in the company, valued at 5–7 billion rubles, may have amounted to 20% to 30% (1–2 billion rubles).

🟦Hackers breached the EMERCOM of Russia mobile app overnight on November 1–2. As a result, app users received notifications about “nuclear warheads” launched “at all regions” of the country.

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