Russian GRU group behind Nato, EU cyber attacks, says German intelligence
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Germany’s domestic intelligence agency's warning against the group comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERLIN - Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has warned against a cyber group belonging to Russian military intelligence (GRU) Unit 29155, saying that it has carried out cyber attacks against Nato and EU countries.
In a post on social media platform X on Sept 9, the Bundesverfassungsschutz said it was issuing the warning against the group known as UNC2589, alongside US agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, cyber-security agency Cisa and the National Security Agency as well as other international partners.
The warning comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier in 2024, Berlin accused Russia of a slew of cyber attacks on Germany’s governing Social Democrats as well as companies in the logistics, defence, aerospace and IT sectors.
In its warning, the intelligence agency said the group, also known as Cadet Blizzard or Ember Bear, conducts activities for the purpose of espionage and sabotage that often involve defacing websites and publishing stolen data.
The GRU unit to which it belongs is known for its suspected involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Britain in 2018, according to the agency. REUTERS
