A statement by the EU’s High Representative on Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell slammed the hackers with ties to the Russian state, describing them as threatening “our integrity and security, democratic values and principles and the core functioning of our democracies.”
“Some member states observed malicious cyberactivities, collectively designated as Ghostwriter, and associated these with the Russian state,” Borrell said in the statement.
He added that the campaign has targeted government officials and politicians, as well as members of the press and civil society.
According to the German government, the country’s upcoming elections later this month have been among the recent targets of the attacks.
US Cybersecurity company FireEye linked parts of the campaign to UNC1151, a group affiliated with the Russian secret service GRU.
Earlier this year, Poland accused the group of attacking over 4,000 accounts of Polish e-mail users. Among the targets were over 100 accounts used by top Polish public officials, including the prime minister, which subsequently triggered a national scandal.
The Polish government blamed Russia for the attack, saying the ‘Ghostwriter’ campaign aimed to destabilize the political situation in the countries of Central Europe.
In June, after the attack, Poland requested a response from the European Union using its cyber diplomacy toolbox.
(jh)
Source: PAP