Wildberries Experienced a Major Outage Following a Cyberattack
On August 10–11, experts from the Cyber Corps community carried out a cyberattack on the digital infrastructure of the Russian marketplace Wildberries. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), the attack caused disruptions in the company’s services, payment issues, and an increased workload for its call centers.
The Main Intelligence Directorate noted that Cyber Corps was operating as part of an operation in Russian cyberspace. The target was the digital infrastructure of Wildberries—a major Russian company that plays a crucial role in logistics and trade in Russia.
What Happened After the Attack
According to Ukrainian intelligence, despite the high level of security of Wildberries’ digital systems, the attack caused serious problems. In particular, the operation of the main remote customer service channel was disrupted. The company’s payment infrastructure was also partially destabilized.
Due to the service disruptions, Wildberries’ contact centers faced an additional workload. Users complained en masse about the systems’ performance, particularly because they were unable to conduct financial transactions. Thus, the problems affected not only the company’s internal digital systems but also part of its customer services.
The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reports that attacks on Wildberries are continuing
Ukrainian intelligence links the cyberoperation to other attacks on Wildberries’ infrastructure. “The cyber operation amplified the effect of the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ kinetic attacks on Wildberries’ warehouses, causing further significant losses to the company,” the GUR stated.
Intelligence officials emphasized that Wildberries plays an important role in the Russian economy and logistics. Therefore, according to Ukrainian assessments, attacks on its infrastructure could impact the company’s operations and related processes. Previous reports had mentioned attacks on Wildberries facilities in Russia. In particular, media outlets reported strikes on the company’s warehouses and logistics infrastructure.
Currently, the Main Intelligence Directorate is reporting specifically on the consequences of the cyberoperation conducted on August 10–11. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the attack led to large-scale disruptions in the operation of certain Wildberries digital services. The operation was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
The losses incurred by the Russian marketplace Wildberries and its sellers due to the strikes on its warehouse infrastructure could reach nearly $12 billion. The Ukrainian attacks disabled all of the company’s large warehouses and about one-third of its total warehouse capacity.
As a reminder, in Russia’s Tver Region, a drone damaged a Wildberries warehouse. The facility is located approximately 150 km from Moscow, and its area, according to preliminary data, was estimated at about 150,000 square meters.
Attacks on Wildberries could exacerbate Russia’s economic problems, according to The Wall Street Journal.
As a reminder, sales of military goods on Wildberries fell following Ukrainian attacks.
The Russian marketplace Wildberries plans to launch a network of “partner hubs” for storing goods as part of its support for sellers and owners of order pickup points.
