Germany voices concern about Russian cyberattacks

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday warned of ongoing Russian cyberattacks in the wake of Berlin's military support for Ukraine.

"In the EU, we are committed to legal regulations to be able to ward off attacks together. We see that cyberattacks by Russia are also used as part of warfare," Baerbock said on Twitter.

"Cyberattacks are a threat to our security and so common that many people do not notice them," she added.

Germany has been the target of Russian cyberattacks since it started to support Ukraine with arms deliveries and by imposing tough sanctions against Moscow.

Shortly after the start of the Russian war on Ukraine, there was a series of cyberattacks in Germany believed to be originating from the hacker group Ghostwriter, which is alleged to be under the control of Russian intelligence services.

Cyberattacks have been surging, targeting especially energy providers, and government and military organizations.

Earlier this year, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also warned of the high risk of Russian disinformation, espionage and sabotage.

"The cybersecurity situation has worsened further as a result of the war. Attacks by pro-Russian hackers have increased," Faeser told the newspapers of the Funke media group.

In May 2015, the German parliament was the target of one of the biggest cyberattacks the country has ever faced when its internal computer system was hacked.

Russia’s military intelligence agency, GRU, is reportedly believed to have been behind the attack.