Major US Military Supplier Hacked by EvilWeb

Lockheed Martin, a significant U.S. defense contractor and arms supplier for the Ukrainian military, has reportedly been targeted by a Russian hacker group in response to reports of the U.S. easing restrictions on Ukraine's use of American-made weapons.

"Hackers obtained a list of employee numbers and emails, and also took down the authorization panel of the Lockheed Martin company," the Russian Telegram channel Baza reported on Thursday morning.

In the announcement, the channel published a list of names, purportedly of Lockheed Martin employees, with their phone numbers and employee email addresses censored.

According to Baza, the hacker group EvilWeb, which has previously said it is based in Russia, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

When contacted for comment, Lockheed Martin told Newsweek: "We are aware of the reports and have policies and procedures in place to mitigate cyber threats to our business. We remain confident in the integrity of our robust, multilayered information systems and data security."

In August, Russian media reported that EvilWeb had conducted an attack on the French government, shutting down the country's National Cybersecurity Agency in response to the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder and CEO.

Lockheed Martin is a Maryland-headquartered aerospace, defense and security company that has grown into one of the most significant defense contractors in the world.

As Baza wrote, "Lockheed Martin is one of the largest companies producing weapons and military equipment," and the company has emerged as a key supplier of arms to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, along with Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, BAE Systems and Oshkosh.

Lockheed Martin's Ukraine contracts have included HIMARS rocket launchers, GMLRS precision-guided rocket systems and F-16 fighter jets.

According to Baza, the hack likely relates to the company's MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and Ukraine's use of them against Russia.

"The attack is related to the probable decision of the United States to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range missiles, including ATACMS," the channel wrote.

These systems, first shipped to Ukraine in March, have been used by Kyiv's armed forces to strike Russian forces within the country's borders and for defensive strikes across the border.

However, Ukraine has been lobbying the U.S. for permission to strike targets deep within Russia, which it believes will hamper Moscow's ability to bombard its cities.

While the U.S. has so far refused to bend to Ukraine's pleas, over fears that using American-supplied weapons to strike further into Russia could escalate the conflict, recent reports have emerged that Washington may reconsider the prohibition.

During a Tuesday news briefing in London, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that he would be discussing the matter with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy during the pair's visit to Kyiv, which began on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, an Axios reporter said she conducted an interview with House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul about Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS, during which he said: "I talked to Blinken two days ago, and he is traveling with his counterpart from the UK to Kyiv to basically tell them that they will allow them [to hit Russia with ATACMS]."

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