Pro-Russia hackers have claimed responsibility for a cyber attack that caused the British royal family’s official website, royal.uk, to crash for over an hour.
According to a source from within the royal family, the attack employed a tactic known as a “denial-of-service attack (DDoS) aimed to overwhelm the website’s servers or network to render it temporarily unavailable.
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While the website experienced disruptions, it was unclear who was responsible for the attack.
There was no official comment on the matter from Buckingham Palace.
However, a group of pro-Russia individuals called Killnet claimed to be behind the attack.
The group, known for its activities since at least 2022, has previously conducted distributed DDoS attacks against countries supporting Ukraine in the ongoing conflict.
The attack has caught the attention of cybersecurity analysts, with the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center issuing a note earlier this year.
“While KillNet’s DDoS attacks usually do not cause major damage, they can cause service outages lasting several hours or even days,” the note explained.
Although the group’s ties to official Russian government organisations remain unconfirmed, it is viewed as a threat to government and critical infrastructure organisations, including healthcare.
This cyberattack happened shortly after King Charles III of Britain openly spoke about his support for Ukraine during a speech at the French Senate in Paris.
The king described Russia’s “military aggression” as “horrifying,” reaffirming the shared commitment to Ukraine’s triumph and preserving cherished freedoms.
He has expressed his concerns about Russia’s actions in Ukraine on several occasions.
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