EU: Russian hackers attack politicians and journalists in several Member States

Several EU member states say that politicians and journalists, among others, have been hacked by the Russian cyber group Ghostwriter. This group is said to be affiliated with the Russian state. The EU urges Russia to stop these attacks.

The message from the European Council does not specify how many and which member states are reporting the attacks. According to the European Union, this is a coordinated action by the Ghostwriter group, attacking parliamentarians, government representatives, politicians, journalists and citizens. In the attacks, the Ghostwriter hackers attempt to extract data from computers and personal accounts. It is not clear what kind of data is involved.

The European Union calls the activities unacceptable and says they threaten integrity, security and democratic values ​​and principles. In addition, they would promote disinformation and manipulation of information. The EU and all member states therefore disapprove of the attacks and say they must stop immediately. “We urge the Russian Federation to adhere to the cyberspace standards of responsible states.”

In upcoming meetings, the EU wants to discuss the attacks and additional steps are being considered. Nothing is said about what steps it might take.

An EU spokesperson told CNN that at least German politicians and government representatives are being attacked by Ghostwriter. The Germans will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament. Germany has been saying since early September that the Ghostwriter hackers have been attacking German politicians and spreading disinformation for ‘some time’, according to an AP News article. The Russian intelligence service GRU is also said to be involved in the attacks. Poland also said it was the target of a Russian cyber attack in June; it’s not clear if Ghostwriter was behind this as well.