German intelligence says Russian GRU group behind NATO, EU cyberattacks

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has warned against a cyber group belonging to Russian military intelligence (GRU) Unit 29155, saying it has carried out cyberattacks against NATO and EU countries. 

In a post on social media platform X on Monday, the Bundesverfassungsschutz said it was issuing the warning against the group known as UNC2589 alongside the FBI, U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA, the NSA and further international partners.

The warning comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe over suspected Russian hackers and spies since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Earlier this year, Berlin accused Russia of a slew of cyberattacks on Germany’s governing Social Democrats as well as companies in the logistics, defence, aerospace and IT sectors.

In its warning, the intelligence agency said the group, also known as Cadet Blizzard or Ember Bear, conducts activities for the purpose of espionage and sabotage that often involve defacing websites and publishing stolen data.

The GRU unit to which it belongs is known for its suspected involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Britain in 2018, according to the agency.

 (Reporting by Friederike Heine; Editing by Tom Hogue and Lincoln Feast.)