In the conditions of Russian armed aggression, the military becomes a target not only on the battlefield, but also in the digital environment. The enemy actively uses software tools to collect intelligence information, track the movement of units and steal personal data. Ministry of Defense of Ukraine analyzed a number of common programs and identified those that carry increased threats to military personnel.
Software security is critical — even popular apps can be a source of risk if they’re linked to Russian companies or contain vulnerabilities.
Yes, the Opera browser, despite its Norwegian origin, has an office in St. Petersburg and ties to investors connected to Russian capital, which causes serious concern. Yandex.Browser, fully developed in the Russian Federation, is included in the list of programs required for pre-installation in the aggressor country, and is actively used in the Russian information space.
According to experts, Russian postal services such as Yandex.Poshta and Mail.ru provide full access to correspondence to Russian special services and transfer data at their request. The situation is similar with the VK.com and Odnoklassniki social networks, which belong to the Mail.ru Group and actively collect data for the needs of the FSB. Telegram, owned by the Russian Pavlo Durov, also maintains traces of communication with the Russian Federation. TikTok, although of Chinese origin, raises concerns about the transfer of data to the Chinese government, given the amount of information collected and the effectiveness of the algorithms.
Maps and navigation services Yandex.Maps, 2GIS and MapsMe pose a separate threat, because they are able to track user routes and transmit data to Russian servers, which is especially dangerous in military conditions. Screenshot programs such as LightShot, Joxi, and Screenshot are of Russian origin, and data from them may be automatically transmitted to the developers’ servers.
Special attention should be paid to anti-virus products Dr.Web and Kaspersky, which have full access to user files and can potentially transfer confidential information to Russian services. Chinese antivirus 360 Total Security also raises similar concerns.
Russian services Yandex.Disk, Yandex.Music and Yandex.Taxi also pose a risk, as all information is stored or processed within the infrastructure of the Russian Federation, which provides direct access to special services to users’ personal data.
“Always prefer licensed software from proven developers. Avoid KMS activators and other pirated software – they often contain malware. Update applications regularly through official channels and use the built-in tools of operating systems where possible. Remember: security in the digital space is not an overkill. It is a necessity that can save the lives of personnel and ensure the success of operations.” – emphasized the Ministry of Defense.
