‘Number of Russian internet attacks on German political parties is on the rise’

The German intelligence service BfV says it sees an increase in targeted attacks on the systems of German political parties and government organizations. The service claims to have indications that the attacks come from Russian state hackers.

The intelligence service attributes the increase in spearphishing attacks to the group that security companies call APT 28, Fancy Bear or Strontium, and which is associated with the Russian state. The internet attacks on the parties and government organizations are said to be part of a broad campaign by Russia to influence the German elections, the BfV reports in a statement to Reuters.

According to Hans-Georg Maassen, CEO of the BfV, Russia ‘uses a wide variety of propaganda tools and huge budgets’ to spread false information. The campaigns would target Germany’s Russian-speaking community, political movements and parties and other organizations.

Last year, the systems of the German Bundestag were already the target of a sophisticated attack, the contamination of which proved difficult to undo and which was also blamed on Russia. The American intelligence services also pointed the finger at Russia before the presidential elections, after a hack of the Democratic party systems.