German intelligence accuses Russia’s GRU of cyberattacks on NATO, EU states

Russia’s GRU military intelligence service has been carrying out cyberattacks against NATO and European Union countries, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has warned.

The BfV said in a statement released on Monday that a cyber-warfare group belonging to the infamous GRU Unit 29155 is engaged in malicious activities targeting critical infrastructure globally, including in the United States.

The statement, titled a Joint Cybersecurity Advisory, was issued by the BfV alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and other international partners.

It warned that cyber-actors affiliated with the GRU’s 161st Specialist Training Center (Unit 29155) “are held responsible for computer network operations against global targets for the purposes of espionage, sabotage, and reputational harm”.

Unit 29155 is associated with foreign assassinations and other activities aimed at destabilising Western countries. The unit is suspected of leading several high-profile operations across Europe.

BfV said that alongside international partners, it remains “committed to protecting freedom and democracy from foreign interference, cyber attacks and malicious actors”.