Hackers caused a massive traffic jam in Moscow using a ride-hailing app

Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

The traffic jam in Moscow was caused by hackers who exploited the Russian ride-sharing app, Yandex Taxi, to summon dozens of taxis to the same location. On September 1st, traffic was stuck at a standstill as a result of the attack.

On Thursday, a video showing lines of taxis trying to get to the same place was shared widely. While Moscow is known for its heavy traffic, this incident wasn't related to the city's usual traffic patterns.

Yandex Taxi said in a statement that attackers tried to disrupt the service on the morning of September 1. The ride-sharing service, which is owned by the Russian internet giant, said that it was able to prevent similar incidents in the future. The company didn't reply to the request for comment.

The hacktivist group "Anonymous" claimed responsibility for the attack on the social networking site. The IT Army of Ukraine is a group of hacktivists that the Ukrainian vice prime minister helped form. After declaring a "cyber war" against Russia, Anonymous hijacked Russian TV channels with footage of the war that is considered illegal in the country. The country's government agencies and major corporations have had their data and emails leaked by hacktivists.