Hackers Breach Russian Prison Database In Alleged Retaliation For Navalny's Death: Report

A massive Russian prison database containing sensitive information has reportedly been breached by hackers. The move is said to have occurred just weeks after the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

CNN has exclusively learned that a group of anti-Kremlin cybercriminals sought to avenge the death of Navalny, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Russian prisoner database hacked

Alexey Navalny was reported to have died while serving a sentence of 19 years in prison on charges of extremism, which he denied as politically motivated. Interviews with hackers were reviewed by CNN, and screenshots and data provided were examined. According to the report, a photo of Navalny was put on the hacked prison contractor's website using a computer network connected to Russia's prison system, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Following Navalny's death, accusations were made by his supporters, relatives, and Western leaders against the Kremlin, alleging responsibility, a charge which the Kremlin denies. The continuation of Navalny's work has been vowed by his widow, Yulia, who, along with Navalny's followers, has accused President Putin of being behind his death.

A message reading 'Long live Alexey Navalny' was found on the hacked website, accompanied by a screenshot showing Navalny with his wife Yulia attending a political rally. Reports suggest that not only did the hackers breach the website, but they may also have accessed a database containing information on hundreds of thousands of Russian prisoners, including their families and friends.

Allegedly, the data included information about prisoners in the penal colony in the Arctic region where Navalny passed away on February 16, as reported by Hindustan Times. Hackers reportedly altered prices in the Russian prison's online store, making items appear significantly cheaper.

A hacker told CNN, "We were watching the [access logs to the online store] and it just kept scrolling faster and faster with more and more customers making purchases." The staff took some time to notice, but by then, the hackers had already exploited the system. A database containing information on roughly 800,000 prisoners and their families was breached, as confirmed by a news outlet, and the authenticity of the leaked data was verified by a cybersecurity expert.