A significant portion of Russian businesses has proven highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. This concerning revelation comes from the findings of “Unacceptable Event 2025. Digital Crash Test of Russian Business,” a comprehensive study conducted by “Kiberispytanie,” a company affiliated with the Siberus fund.
The “Kiberispytanie” team conducted simulated cyberattacks on 74 companies spanning nine key sectors of the Russian economy. These sectors included IT, retail, scientific research, consulting, manufacturing, finance, and insurance. The tests were designed as an “express-format” exercise, granting “white hat” hackers a three-month window to execute a scenario capable of disrupting a company`s normal operations.
Alarmingly, over half of these simulated attacks—specifically 67 percent—were successfully executed in less than 24 hours. This success rate was achieved even without requiring exceptionally high qualifications from the participating researchers. The quickest “breach” was completed in a mere 34 minutes, highlighting critical security weaknesses.
More than 1,500 researchers participated in these extensive cyber evaluations, with 26 of them receiving monetary compensation for their successful findings. Individual rewards varied significantly, with the highest payout reaching 5.6 million rubles, an average reward of 700,000 rubles, and a minimum of 300,000 rubles.
In related news, the alleged perpetrators behind a major cyberattack campaign targeting Russia were previously identified. According to statements from domestic hacktivists, the pro-Ukrainian group Hacken is believed to be responsible for these large-scale operations.
