Germany has called in the Russian ambassador to address allegations of cyber espionage linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence service, known as Fancy Bear. Berlin accuses Moscow of orchestrating a broad cyberattack campaign dating back to 2022.
“We and our allies will not tolerate these cyber intrusions and will employ all available measures to deter and respond to Russia’s aggressive actions in cyberspace,” stated a spokesperson from the German foreign ministry.
The Russian embassy has yet to comment on the matter. Russia has consistently denied similar accusations of cyberattacks by Western nations in the past.
The cyber assaults in 2022 targeted various sectors in Germany, including the government, defense, logistics, aerospace, and IT industries, according to Germany’s interior ministry.
Attributed to APT28, a group linked to the GRU, the attacks exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Outlook to compromise email accounts over an extended period. Microsoft acknowledged Russian-based actors using a tool dubbed GooseEgg since April 2019 to pilfer credentials.
The Czech Republic has also reported being targeted in the alleged cyber campaign since the previous year, as per its Foreign Ministry.
German authorities emphasized the urgent need to patch security vulnerabilities and actively advocate for their resolution.
An international effort led by the FBI in January intercepted compromised devices, preventing their exploitation for further cyber espionage, noted the German interior ministry.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser underscored the threat posed by Russian cyberattacks to democracy, particularly ahead of upcoming elections in Europe, including the European Parliament elections in June.
APT28, alias Fancy Bear, has been operating globally in cyber espionage since at least 2004, according to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, establishing itself as a prominent and perilous cyber threat.
