12 ms·

Pirates spammed an infamous Soviet-era short-wave radio station with memes

142 points by caaqil 5y ago

thakoppno 5y ago
There’s at least some speculation that UVB-76 could be part of a Russian Doomsday machine. It makes this rf activity slightly less amusing to me.
- picture 5y ago
  From what I recall there's been things like talking voices and downtime on the Buzzer so there's also at least some speculation that it's not part of Dead Hand or anything.. possibilities are open
- mhh__ 5y ago
  I highly doubt it's connected to any Cobalt-Thorium G. What's more likely is them parking the frequency for if they need it.
- justsomehnguy 5y ago
  It would be a very bad Doomsday Machine if taking out one radio station would trigger it.
  - gambiting 5y ago
    Sure, but a system like that would most likely require multiple independent variables to trigger - it there is no broadcast from Kremlin, if there is no broadcast from the military command, if all the satellites are offline or if they are broadcasting an all out launch sequence, AND the buzzer is off....then trigger the system. It wouldn't be just one radio station.
  - chiph 5y ago
    That's supposedly a criteria for British subs to launch their missiles. If the BBC is off the air (and a bunch of other things have happened), the captain is authorized to launch in retaliation as the assumption is that the UK no longer exists.
- anfilt 5y ago
  Considering, when reading about this station it has been taken down intentionally before, had periods of being offline, and also offline when the station was moved once before it's quite unlikely.
ggm 5y ago
As I understand it, transmission typically takes modulated RF and boosts it. Its applying brute force to a pre-shaped signal as the "carrier". The RF has to come into the amplification stage over a waveguide. Typically it's being sent from somewhere else, down a landline or local point to point microwave link. If you can "flood" the amplifiers input with a stronger signal generated locally, with either a path into the RF waveguide or a strong directional antenna and a receiving dish for the microwave signal, it will latch on to it, and amplify it too. If it's stronger at source, it's stronger post amplification/transmission. Being stronger at source is easy if you are close. It probably does not work as well on a digital stream, or a multichannel, agile frequency hopping signal but these tend to be short range. These numbers stations have to work with old, crude and remote receivers and with more traditional (deliberate) interference from distant sources so they are more prone to being subverted by a motivated local phreaker who can inject a strong signal from e.g. a car parked close by and then run away. You would think military communications are 24/7 guarded but perhaps in some economies people assume distance from the urban area is protection. It doesn't stop motivated attacks. By the time you find out, they've taken the Max Headroom VHS and their radio rig away in an anonymous van. Maybe this attack is smarter? Doing something less brute force and not just flooding the last-stage RF amplifier?
- gruez 5y ago
  >If you can "flood" the amplifiers input with a stronger signal generated locally, with either a path into the RF waveguide or a strong directional antenna and a receiving dish for the microwave signal, it will latch on to it, and amplify it too. In other words, those russian radio transmitters are like open relays? It will amplify any signal you feed to it?
  - ggm 5y ago
    I think, (and as a non-Ham, I expect to be corrected on this), putting to one side the numbers stuff is meant to be "modem-like" tone encoded signals and so implicitly sort of digital, to the radio amplification its just analogue waves. Amplifying for transmission happens as close to your antenna as possible. You're pumping out radio waves. Not amplifying "bits", you're amplifying waves. Or phase encoded, whatever, The last stage amp is not able to discriminate what's to be amplified, what comes in is what goes out into the masts. This 40s/50s/60s/70s long distance radio stuff, is pretty much dumb tech. It's not just Russian transmitters, a lot of the old VHF TV was capable of being subverted by brute force injection, and FM radio. All you have to do is assert a stronger time signal and it's going to cohere to it. There are awesome photos on the Web of these transmitters, huge valves, mercury rectifiers, scary giant coils, oil cooled stuff, it's RF but you treat it like power engineering, because energy is energy: it's "hot". If you were building one now, you'd send encrypted signal digitally into the gear and avoid as many of the risks as possible. Probably have to be right up close inside the building to phreak the last stage amplifier. Some ham or ex forces RF person will probably say I got this wrong btw. I'd believe them.
drmpeg 5y ago
Wide band HD spectrum painting. https://www.w6rz.net/spectrumpaint.mp4 https://www.w6rz.net/spectrumpaint.mp4
mhh__ 5y ago
The other day they (not sure if it was the operators or someone trying to hijack the frequency) were playing forever young in the background and the combination of reverb and static was quite the hauntological experience.
anfilt 5y ago
Found a post about it on HN few days ago here. Not much was said though. Although the twitter thread does show more than this vice article. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30061543 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30061543
junon 5y ago
This happened maybe a week ago, over the course of several days. I was there and talked to the pirate via Telegram. I don't really like Vice and don't want to reveal anything about the pirate (singular) in particular, but I believe they are Russian, not Ukrainian (I just sent a message asking), and it is a younger gentleman (perhaps early 20's). His name on the SDR messages was Alex but his Russian name is something different. He was very kind, at least through messages (we spoke via Russian and some simpler English messages) and he accepted requests for music and images. By far the clearest hijacking broadcast was the first day. The buzzer was completely gone, Alex's broadcast absolutely drowned it out for most online receivers I could find. The following days seemed to battle a bit more - perhaps the military did something to boost the signal. As well, the days following the hijacking there were a lot of cryptic messages sent out, at a much higher frequency than usual. You can find what they sound like on YouTube if you just type "uvb76 broadcast". There were several per day whereas historically the channel could be unused for months at a time. There is still no known meaning behind the messages but they're always broadcasted by a live human, speaking Russian. I screenshotted almost everything I could find, sans his Telegram handle for obvious reasons, Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/bad_at_computer/status/1483982428221939712 https://twitter.com/bad_at_computer/status/14839824282219397...
- crumbits 5y ago
  You were rused. Any ham can look at that spectrum and instantly tell you why it’s fake. You just helped Vice to spread disinformation, lad.
  - gfv 5y ago
    You are very welcome to tune to 4625kHz USB yourself, or use a suitable European WebSDR if you're in the US.
    - crumbits 5y ago
      I am a ham and I have a pretty good antenna farm going. Being a ham with plenty of time behind my own SDR is how I know this is fake.
crumbits 5y ago
This was actually a hoax that Vice fell for. Pretty sad.
- a2128 5y ago
  Which part is a hoax exactly? I've observed and recorded some of this myself and I even messaged the pirate on Telegram after he drew his handle through spectrogram painting. It was hearable on multiple receivers in various places in Europe.
  - crumbits 5y ago
    He didn’t make any transmission. If you’re a radio person you’ll see instantly how and why this is fake. Since you’re not, and neither is your purported pirate, I won’t tell you the critical error which was made. You should be careful that you don’t get rused, or worse - spread misinformation intentionally.
    - a2128 5y ago
      Roughly 30min ago there was music being played at 4625kHz in various receivers around Europe. Am I wrong in my understanding that if you can hear a radio signal, there is something being transmitted? The only possible scenarios I can imagine where this is fake is either A) there is no transmission and the signal is somehow being directly injected into these WebSDRs who have all conspired; B) there are transmissions but they're very low-power and local near each WebSDR; or C) the transmission is actually coming from Russia's buzzer transmitter. I find A to be extremely unlikely as it would require some kind of grand conspiracy. B might be possible with enough motivation but I fail to see one. C seems unlikely as I found the music's signal strength to vary differently based on location than the buzzer. I tried to pick up the music with my own SDR at home and a shoddy antenna setup. I was able to pick up the buzzer and not the music, while some WebSDRs had loud music, so I don't consider C to be true. I do live in what could be a skip zone for the pirate's transmission. If there is a critical error in my assessment, it would be helpful to point it out if you truly wish to curb this supposed misinformation.
IYasha 5y ago
These spectrograms are something! ) But the inflamation of "Russia attacks!" hysteria ruined the reputation of Vice for me forever (

142 points by caaqil 5y ago

There’s at least some speculation that UVB-76 could be part of a Russian Doomsday machine. It makes this rf activity slightly less amusing to me.

picture 5y ago
From what I recall there's been things like talking voices and downtime on the Buzzer so there's also at least some speculation that it's not part of Dead Hand or anything.. possibilities are open
mhh__ 5y ago
I highly doubt it's connected to any Cobalt-Thorium G. What's more likely is them parking the frequency for if they need it.
justsomehnguy 5y ago
It would be a very bad Doomsday Machine if taking out one radio station would trigger it.
- gambiting 5y ago
  Sure, but a system like that would most likely require multiple independent variables to trigger - it there is no broadcast from Kremlin, if there is no broadcast from the military command, if all the satellites are offline or if they are broadcasting an all out launch sequence, AND the buzzer is off....then trigger the system. It wouldn't be just one radio station.
- chiph 5y ago
  That's supposedly a criteria for British subs to launch their missiles. If the BBC is off the air (and a bunch of other things have happened), the captain is authorized to launch in retaliation as the assumption is that the UK no longer exists.
anfilt 5y ago
Considering, when reading about this station it has been taken down intentionally before, had periods of being offline, and also offline when the station was moved once before it's quite unlikely.

ggm 5y ago

As I understand it, transmission typically takes modulated RF and boosts it. Its applying brute force to a pre-shaped signal as the "carrier". The RF has to come into the amplification stage over a waveguide. Typically it's being sent from somewhere else, down a landline or local point to point microwave link. If you can "flood" the amplifiers input with a stronger signal generated locally, with either a path into the RF waveguide or a strong directional antenna and a receiving dish for the microwave signal, it will latch on to it, and amplify it too. If it's stronger at source, it's stronger post amplification/transmission. Being stronger at source is easy if you are close. It probably does not work as well on a digital stream, or a multichannel, agile frequency hopping signal but these tend to be short range. These numbers stations have to work with old, crude and remote receivers and with more traditional (deliberate) interference from distant sources so they are more prone to being subverted by a motivated local phreaker who can inject a strong signal from e.g. a car parked close by and then run away. You would think military communications are 24/7 guarded but perhaps in some economies people assume distance from the urban area is protection. It doesn't stop motivated attacks. By the time you find out, they've taken the Max Headroom VHS and their radio rig away in an anonymous van. Maybe this attack is smarter? Doing something less brute force and not just flooding the last-stage RF amplifier?

gruez 5y ago
>If you can "flood" the amplifiers input with a stronger signal generated locally, with either a path into the RF waveguide or a strong directional antenna and a receiving dish for the microwave signal, it will latch on to it, and amplify it too. In other words, those russian radio transmitters are like open relays? It will amplify any signal you feed to it?
- ggm 5y ago
  I think, (and as a non-Ham, I expect to be corrected on this), putting to one side the numbers stuff is meant to be "modem-like" tone encoded signals and so implicitly sort of digital, to the radio amplification its just analogue waves. Amplifying for transmission happens as close to your antenna as possible. You're pumping out radio waves. Not amplifying "bits", you're amplifying waves. Or phase encoded, whatever, The last stage amp is not able to discriminate what's to be amplified, what comes in is what goes out into the masts. This 40s/50s/60s/70s long distance radio stuff, is pretty much dumb tech. It's not just Russian transmitters, a lot of the old VHF TV was capable of being subverted by brute force injection, and FM radio. All you have to do is assert a stronger time signal and it's going to cohere to it. There are awesome photos on the Web of these transmitters, huge valves, mercury rectifiers, scary giant coils, oil cooled stuff, it's RF but you treat it like power engineering, because energy is energy: it's "hot". If you were building one now, you'd send encrypted signal digitally into the gear and avoid as many of the risks as possible. Probably have to be right up close inside the building to phreak the last stage amplifier. Some ham or ex forces RF person will probably say I got this wrong btw. I'd believe them.

drmpeg 5y ago

Wide band HD spectrum painting. https://www.w6rz.net/spectrumpaint.mp4 https://www.w6rz.net/spectrumpaint.mp4

mhh__ 5y ago

The other day they (not sure if it was the operators or someone trying to hijack the frequency) were playing forever young in the background and the combination of reverb and static was quite the hauntological experience.

anfilt 5y ago

Found a post about it on HN few days ago here. Not much was said though. Although the twitter thread does show more than this vice article. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30061543 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30061543

junon 5y ago

This happened maybe a week ago, over the course of several days. I was there and talked to the pirate via Telegram. I don't really like Vice and don't want to reveal anything about the pirate (singular) in particular, but I believe they are Russian, not Ukrainian (I just sent a message asking), and it is a younger gentleman (perhaps early 20's). His name on the SDR messages was Alex but his Russian name is something different. He was very kind, at least through messages (we spoke via Russian and some simpler English messages) and he accepted requests for music and images. By far the clearest hijacking broadcast was the first day. The buzzer was completely gone, Alex's broadcast absolutely drowned it out for most online receivers I could find. The following days seemed to battle a bit more - perhaps the military did something to boost the signal. As well, the days following the hijacking there were a lot of cryptic messages sent out, at a much higher frequency than usual. You can find what they sound like on YouTube if you just type "uvb76 broadcast". There were several per day whereas historically the channel could be unused for months at a time. There is still no known meaning behind the messages but they're always broadcasted by a live human, speaking Russian. I screenshotted almost everything I could find, sans his Telegram handle for obvious reasons, Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/bad_at_computer/status/1483982428221939712 https://twitter.com/bad_at_computer/status/14839824282219397...

crumbits 5y ago
You were rused. Any ham can look at that spectrum and instantly tell you why it’s fake. You just helped Vice to spread disinformation, lad.
- gfv 5y ago
  You are very welcome to tune to 4625kHz USB yourself, or use a suitable European WebSDR if you're in the US.
  - crumbits 5y ago
    I am a ham and I have a pretty good antenna farm going. Being a ham with plenty of time behind my own SDR is how I know this is fake.

crumbits 5y ago

This was actually a hoax that Vice fell for. Pretty sad.

a2128 5y ago
Which part is a hoax exactly? I've observed and recorded some of this myself and I even messaged the pirate on Telegram after he drew his handle through spectrogram painting. It was hearable on multiple receivers in various places in Europe.
- crumbits 5y ago
  He didn’t make any transmission. If you’re a radio person you’ll see instantly how and why this is fake. Since you’re not, and neither is your purported pirate, I won’t tell you the critical error which was made. You should be careful that you don’t get rused, or worse - spread misinformation intentionally.
  - a2128 5y ago
    Roughly 30min ago there was music being played at 4625kHz in various receivers around Europe. Am I wrong in my understanding that if you can hear a radio signal, there is something being transmitted? The only possible scenarios I can imagine where this is fake is either A) there is no transmission and the signal is somehow being directly injected into these WebSDRs who have all conspired; B) there are transmissions but they're very low-power and local near each WebSDR; or C) the transmission is actually coming from Russia's buzzer transmitter. I find A to be extremely unlikely as it would require some kind of grand conspiracy. B might be possible with enough motivation but I fail to see one. C seems unlikely as I found the music's signal strength to vary differently based on location than the buzzer. I tried to pick up the music with my own SDR at home and a shoddy antenna setup. I was able to pick up the buzzer and not the music, while some WebSDRs had loud music, so I don't consider C to be true. I do live in what could be a skip zone for the pirate's transmission. If there is a critical error in my assessment, it would be helpful to point it out if you truly wish to curb this supposed misinformation.

IYasha 5y ago

These spectrograms are something! ) But the inflamation of "Russia attacks!" hysteria ruined the reputation of Vice for me forever (