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ESET: Russia’s Sandworm Unleashed Data Wipers on Ukraine, Targeting Grain Sector

The latest ESET report points to a deliberate shift toward economic sabotage by striking Ukraine’s grain industry.

Overview

  • ESET attributes multiple destructive intrusions between April and September 2025 to Sandworm, also tracked as APT44.
  • Wiper attacks in June and September hit organizations in government, energy, logistics and, unusually, Ukraine’s grain sector.
  • ESET assesses the focus on grain producers as an effort to weaken Ukraine’s war economy given the sector’s central role in export revenue.
  • In April, Sandworm deployed Sting and Zerlot wipers at a Ukrainian university, with Sting executed via a scheduled Windows task named “DavaniGulyashaSdeshka.”
  • Researchers report that in some cases initial access was obtained by UAC-0099 before being handed off to APT44 for wiper deployment.