Belarusian Cyber ​​Partisans responded to Kaspersky

The Belarusian hacktivist group Cyber ​​Partisans has responded to a Kaspersky report that revealed their tools and tactics. The hackers do not deny some of the information, but they say it will not harm their operations. What’s more, they are grateful for the “advertisement” and hint at the ineffectiveness of Russian software.

Kaspersky, a well-known Russian cybersecurity firm, has published a study on Cyber ​​Partisans, in which it described new malware — the Vasilek backdoor and the Pryanik wiper.

According to experts, Vasilek steals data, records keystrokes, takes screenshots and operates through Telegram, rather than traditional servers. Pryanik destroys files on computers at a certain time, like a “logic bomb”, and can be reactivated.

The report says that hackers most often attack at night, when system administrators are inactive. One example is the attack on a Belarusian chemical plant in April 2025: video surveillance was hacked, computers were encrypted, and backups were erased.

Cyber ​​Partisans emerged after mass protests in Belarus in August 2020. Their goal is to fight the authoritarianism of Lukashenko and the Kremlin. They have already claimed responsibility for hacking the Belarusian railway, the internal servers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and enterprises working with Russia. The group has previously admitted that some of their attacks are “loud” to attract attention. They also reported that sometimes they copy important information before destroying data, which allows it to be potentially restored – unlike classic destructive attacks.

The hackers said that Kaspersky’s publication would not affect their work in any way. On the contrary, it made their activities even more visible.