Russian hackers tried to break into computers of dozens of foreign diplomats in Ukraine - media
That's according to a cybersecurity firm report seen by Reuters, Ukrinform reports.
The wide-reaching espionage activity targeted diplomats working in at least 22 of the roughly 80 foreign missions in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, analysts at the Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 research division said in the report, due to be published later on Wednesday.
"In mid-April 2023, a diplomat within the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs emailed a legitimate flyer to various embassies advertising the sale of a used BMW 5-series sedan located in Kyiv," the report said.
The Polish diplomat, who declined to be identified citing security concerns, confirmed the role of his advertisement in the digital intrusion.
The hackers, known as APT29 or "Cozy Bear," intercepted and copied that flyer, embedded it with malicious software, then sent it to dozens of other foreign diplomats working in Kyiv, Unit 42 said.
"This is staggering in scope for what generally are narrowly scoped and clandestine advanced persistent threat (APT) operations," said the report.
In 2021, U.S. and British intelligence agencies identified APT29 as an arm of Russia's foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR.
In April, Polish counterintelligence and cybersecurity authorities warned that the same group had conducted a "widespread intelligence campaign" against NATO member states, the European Union, and Africa.
