Bloomberg: Russian hackers tried to deceive German politicians before elections
Kyiv • UNN
Russian hackers with ties to Russian intelligence have attempted to trick German political parties with fake dinner invitations containing malicious files, indicating a broader threat to Western parties across the political spectrum aimed at undermining European support for Ukraine.
Russian hackers tried to deceive representatives of German political parties with fake dinner invitations. This is reported by Bloomberg, UNN reports.
Details
Hackers from the APT29 group, which is affiliated with Russia's foreign intelligence service, were previously known for attacking diplomatic institutions. But this time, they are focusing on political parties. The publication writes that this shift indicates a broader threat to European and other Western political parties across the political spectrum.
John Hultquist, principal analyst at Mandiant Intelligence, said he was concerned that this may not be an isolated case, and other organizations may be targeted by hackers in the near future.
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Russian hackers posing as representatives of Germany's center-right Christian Democratic Union party sent a fake email invitation to a dinner party that they claimed would take place on March 1.
The invitation asked those wishing to participate to click a link that directed them to a malicious file.
The report adds that Russian hackers' shift to attacks on political parties is in the Kremlin's interest in understanding the decision-making process related to Ukraine and other issues.
The article states that some of the hacking tools used by Russian spies in the attack on Germany were first discovered by security researchers in late January 2024.
Outside of Ukraine, there is no more important priority for Russian intelligence services than tracking the changing political dynamics of the West
According to him, this attack is not only aimed at persecuting the CDU or Germany. He believes it is part of a broader Russian effort to find ways to undermine European support for Ukraine.
