Russian hackers have accessed surveillance cameras of some NATO member states, including Romania, to spy Ukraine
The United Kingdom and its allies accuse a unity of Russia's military intelligence service of conducting an aggressive cyber campaign to spy and disrupt the flow of Western aid for Ukraine, targeting the critical infrastructure of NATO Member States. Hackers accessed about 10,000 video cameras, of which 1,000 are in Romania.
The GRU unit had an extensive cyber spy campaign. Photo: Unssplash
According to a warning issued by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) of the United Kingdom, the GRU 26165 unit, also known as APT 28 or Fancy Bear, has accessed thousands of surveillance cameras near the borders, railway stations and military installations in Europe.
Hackers accessed about 10,000 video cameras, 80% of which were on the territory of Ukraine, 10% in Romania, 4% in Poland, 2.8% in Hungary and 1.7% in Slovakia, according to The Guardian.
The cameras offered instant video authors about the movement of equipment and aid to Ukraine. In some cases, even traffic cameras were used.
Extended Cyber spying campaign
In addition to accessing the cameras, the GRU unit used phishing emails with topics ranging from professional topics to adult materials; sent messages in the native language of the target, using compromised addresses or free email accounts; tried phishing vocal (vishing), impersonating IT technicians to obtain access to privileged accounts; And they searched for information about the train schedule, transport documents and delivery data.
“This malicious cyber campaign of the Russian Military Intelligence Service is a serious risk for the targeted organizations, especially those involved in the delivery of aid to Ukraine,” said Paul Chichester, director of operations within the NCSC.
The GRU 26165 unit is also known for leaking the data of the World Doping Agency and for attacks on the US National Democrat Committee in 2016.
The report was elaborated by the United Kingdom in collaboration with US agents, Germany, France, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, Australia, Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands.
