In a move that has left cybersecurity experts shaking their heads and reaching for stronger drinks, notorious Russian hacking groups Gamaredon and Turla have decided to collaborate on a new project. No, it’s not a new Siberian LARPing community—it’s a full-scale digital assault, codenamed ‘Hackathon from Hell,’ aimed directly at Ukrainian entities. Who says teamwork is dead?

The Slovak cybersecurity outfit ESET reported witnessing this unlikely partnership when Gamaredon’s PteroGraphin and PteroOdd tools were spotted working in harmony to deploy Turla’s Kazuar backdoor. As usual, the only thing missing from this kumbaya moment was a folk song and a bonfire. But unlike your typical hackathon, there were no prizes for second place—just international condemnation and a slot on the watchlists of several intelligence agencies.

According to experts, this joint venture marks a bold new chapter in hacker collaboration, proving once again that you can’t underestimate the power of shared animosity. While the rest of the world was busy trying to maintain peace and security, these two groups were busy scheduling Google Meets to fine-tune their cyber assaults. Who knew that the digital underworld would have such robust networking skills?