Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland have said they have been attacked on a large scale by a Russian hacker group. The perpetrators are attributed to Putin’s military intelligence service. There is great outrage in the EU and the US, and the timing in particular is a cause for concern.
Germany has made massive accusations against Russia in connection with cyber attacks on the government, parties and companies and announced the consequences. Other European countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland are also there. NATO, the US, the EU and Austria expressed their outrage. The Russian embassy has rejected the accusations.
The US government joins Germany in attributing “specific malicious activities directed against a German political party” to the APT28 group, the US State Department said on Friday.
Russians exploited Outlook’s vulnerability
The campaign is aimed at government services and companies in the fields of logistics, armaments, aerospace, IT services, but also against foundations and associations. The Russian hacker group APT28, part of the Russian secret service GRU, has exploited a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook for cyber attacks “over a long period of time”.
According to reports, company servers have been compromised, but the affected parties have not provided details for security reasons. According to its own information, the German Foreign Ministry has summoned the charge d’affaires of the Russian embassy.
Austria was outraged by the action
The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) announced on X: “Austria strongly condemns Russian cyber campaigns against EU member states, including attacks on state institutions and political actors. Together with our partners, we are committed to preventing, deterring and responding to such unacceptable malicious behavior.”
Together with the US federal police, the FBI and other services, they were able to disable devices used for attacks, Berlin said. The APT28 group is still active and is one of the most dangerous international hacker groups.
“Russian cyber attacks are a threat to our democracy that we fight decisively. We act side by side within the EU, NATO and with our international partners,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) in Prague.
EU elections in focus?
The Czech government and the Polish government also announced that they had been affected. The timing would be of particular concern – given the upcoming European elections in early June and the Russian disinformation campaigns that have already come to light.
“The malicious cyber campaign demonstrates Russia’s continued pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace, targeting democratic institutions, government agencies and critical infrastructure providers across the European Union and beyond,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Baerbock threatens with ‘consequences’
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) condemned the hacker attacks during her trip to Australia and pointed out that the SPD was attacked last year.
“Today we can clearly attribute this attack last year to the APT28 group, which is controlled by the Russian military intelligence service GRU,” she said. This makes it clear that Russian state hackers have attacked Germany in cyberspace. “This is completely unacceptable and will not go without consequences,” Baerbock said.
The SPD announced last summer that email accounts at party headquarters were the target of a cyber attack in early 2023. At the time, it was said that this was made possible by a vulnerability at software company Microsoft that was still unknown at the time of the attack.
The SPD leadership believes this is a logical target
SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert was not surprised by the investigation on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attacking Germany’s ruling party, the SPD, “because we embody defensive democracy in Germany in a special way,” he explained. “The fact that Putin is attacking social democracy reveals both his fear and our political strength.” Party leader Lars Klingbeil told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger: “It is clear: Putin’s regime does not like how clearly we are on the side. of them Ukraine.”
The Russian embassy in Berlin “categorically rejected the accusations as baseless and baseless” and denied any involvement of “Russian state structures” in the activities of the APT28 group.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
