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Hacker attacks on German electricity suppliers: trail leads to Russia

Germany is apparently increasingly being targeted by Russian hacker attacks. The cybercriminals’ target is said to be critical infrastructure in the form of the German power grid. According to media reports, a first attack by a Russian hacker group has already taken place. One of the perpetrators was subsequently caught. According to the report, this should be in connection with the Russian secret service.

Over 150 hacker attacks on Germany

For some time now, over 150 German companies have been victims of hacker attacks. The attackers focused mainly on companies familiar with critical infrastructure such as the supply of electricity and water. One of the perpetrators has now been apprehended and arrested. The investigators’ findings could hardly be more explosive. What has long been suspected now seems to be a certainty. According to a report by WDR and BR, the accomplice is said to have close ties to the Russian secret service (FSB).

“Berserk Bear” – this is the name of the hacker group that is said to have carried out attacks on German companies on a large scale. The caught perpetrator named Pavel A. is said to be a member of this group. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the hacker group, alternatively known as “Dragonfly,” is said to have received orders from the FSB. The aim of the long-term operation, according to the indictment, was to deliberately cripple critical infrastructure in Germany.

Successful attack on EnBW subsidiary in 2017

The arrested man is alleged to have been the mastermind of an attack on Netcom BW, a subsidiary of EnBW, in 2017. In the cyberattack five years ago, the hacker group was able to gain access to the company’s network, obtaining sensitive data on the local power grid. In addition to EnBW, however, another well-known electricity supplier has also been hit. E-On is also said to have fallen victim to the group. Here, “Berserk Bear” or “Dragonfly” apparently wanted to tap sensitive login data with the help of a forged document.

Finally certainty of various hacker attacks

Cyberattacks have noticeably increased in recent years. For this reason, warnings from the authorities have also become louder recently. The report that has now been published underlines the dangers once again. Fortunately, the authorities have now been able to identify at least one culprit. The only question is what consequences this will have for Russia. After all, so far it has only been speculation that the attacks could be controlled by the Russian government. The latest findings, which clearly classify the Russian secret service FSB as the client, make the suspicions a certainty.

We can only hope that the authorities will be able to apprehend other members of the group in addition to Pavel A. Incidentally, this would not be the first time Russia has been linked to cyberattacks. As recently as May, we reported that the Russian hacker group Killnet was targeting targets in the West. Just recently, a hacker attack on Carinthia showed the consequences this can have not only for companies, but also for the administration.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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Germany is apparently increasingly being targeted by Russian hacker attacks. The cybercriminals‘ target is said to be critical infrastructure in the form of the German power grid. According to media reports, a first attack by a Russian hacker group has already taken place. One of the perpetrators was subsequently caught. According to the report, this … (Weiterlesen...)

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