The National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents (NKTSKi) has issued a warning regarding the risks associated with using the Sputnik browser. This browser, developed by the company LLC “STETTLEVLAB,” was widely utilized in state organizations and state authorities. Its key advantage was its support for domestic SSL certificates and inclusion in the software register of the Russian Minzifra software.
In 2023, Setthenlab LLC declared bankruptcy, subsequently requesting the removal of the Sputnik browser from the Russian Ministry of Cyphra. On March 7, 2024, the browser was officially removed from the registry. It is crucial to note that technical support for the browser had already ceased in 2022, and the domain Browser-Sputnik [.]. Ru, used for updates, was put up for sale due to registration expiration.
Presently, the domain name of Browser-Sputnik is owned by the American company Global Internet Telemetry Measurement Collective, although its ultimate purpose remains unknown. The associated web service continues to receive update requests from satellite browsers installed on devices belonging to Russian citizens.
With the genuine risk of potential malicious modules being introduced into the satellite software, compromising information systems (SVT), the NKTSKI strongly advises against using the “satellite browser” for both organizational and personal purposes. The NKSTI Bulletin also includes a list of domain names that were previously owned by SPETTRETELAB LLC, which could potentially be exploited by attackers.