russian Sandworm hackers targeted Ukraine’s grain sector between June and September

Ukraine’s grain industry was targeted by the russian state-backed hacker group Sandworm, The Record reports.

According to cybersecurity firm ESET, the group deployed data-wiping malware against Ukrainian organizations in the grain sector, energy, logistics, and government administration from June to September. While Ukraine’s infrastructure is frequently attacked, its agricultural sector has rarely faced direct cyber assaults.

Sandworm, linked to russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU), has been behind some of the most destructive cyberattacks in Ukraine’s history — including the 2015 power grid shutdown, the NotPetya virus in 2017, and the Kyivstar breach in 2024.

ESET said the latest operations involved two wipers — Zerolot and Sting — which initially hit a Ukrainian university and later spread to grain and energy companies. Both are designed to erase data and disrupt the operations of targeted organizations.