Russian hackers hit Western firms sending aid to Ukraine, US intelligence says
Hackers working for Russian military intelligence targeted Western technology and logistics companies involved in shipping assistance to Ukraine, the US National Security Agency said.
The hackers were trying to obtain details about the type of assistance entering Ukraine and, as part of the effort, sought access to the feeds of internet-connected cameras near Ukrainian border crossings, according to the NSA's report on the cyberattack, which was issued late on Wednesday.
The cyber campaign sought to penetrate defence, transportation and logistics companies in several Western countries, including the US, as well as ports, airports and rail systems.
The report did not specify which types of aid Russia was surveilling, but Ukraine's allies have contributed significant amounts of military and humanitarian assistance since the war began.
More than 10,000 internet-connected cameras were targeted, including private devices and public traffic cameras near critical transportation points, such as ports, rail hubs or border crossings.
Most were in Ukraine, though some were in Romania, Poland and other eastern or central European countries.
Officials did not disclose details of the hackers' success or how long they remained unnoticed.
The activity detailed in the report began in 2022, the same year that Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia is expected to continue its efforts to spy on aid shipments, and companies involved in aid logistics or shipments should be on guard, according to the report, which was issued jointly by the NSA, the FBI and security agencies in several allied nations.
'To defend against and mitigate these threats, at-risk entities should anticipate targeting,' the NSA said.
Authorities linked the activity to a Russian military intelligence unit dubbed 'Fancy Bear' that is well known for its past campaigns targeting the US and its allies.
The hackers used a variety of tactics to gain access, including spear phishing, which involves sending authentic-looking messages to a potential victim that contain links to harmful software or requests for sensitive information.
The Russian team also exploited security vulnerabilities in computer devices used at small and in-home offices, networks that often lack the security measures found in larger systems.
The hackers did not use particularly innovative techniques, according to Grant Geyer, chief strategy officer at the cybersecurity company Claroty.
Nevertheless, the sprawling yet carefully orchestrated effort gives the Russians a 'granular understanding' of the aid sent to Ukraine, he said.
'They have done detailed targeting across the entire supply chain to understand what equipment is moving, when and how — whether it's by aircraft, ship or rail,' Mr Geyer said.
Russia could use the information it obtained to hone its war planning, Mr Geyer said, or to plot further cyber or physical attacks on the supply chain to Ukraine.
Last autumn, US intelligence officials issued a public bulletin directing American defence companies and suppliers to increase security precautions following several acts of sabotage in Europe that officials have blamed on Russia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Dan Bongino wants to move FBI training program from iconic Quantico HQ to Alabama: report
Leaders in the FBI are reportedly pushing to move one of the bureau's training programs from its headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, to Huntsville, Alabama, as part of President Donald Trump's desire to move federal agencies out of the Washington D.C. area. Dan Bongino, the FBI deputy director, has preliminarily proposed moving the FBI National Academy, a 10-week training academy for 250 domestic and international law enforcement officers, to Huntsville, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The FBI's training program for new bureau hires and other parts of its facilities, including the laboratory division, would remain at Quantico, people familiar with the discussion told The Post. While the proposal is still in preliminary stages, it aligns with Trump's April deadline asking agencies to create plans to move their headquarters from Washington D.C., to separate areas of the country to ' be where the people are.' However, the push to move to Huntsville, the most populous city in Alabama, has drawn criticism from some personnel who believe the move could be unjustifiably costly, The Post reported. While the FBI has operated at Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army base near downtown Huntsville, for decades, some expressed concern that sending hundreds of staff and agents to set up the training facility would require upgrades. 'If you look at FBI field offices, for example, you'll see many that are not located in downtown areas given the highly specialized nature of these facilities and their security requirements,' Norman Dong, the former Public Buildings Service commissioner under the Obama administration, told Federal News Network in April. 'In places like Atlanta or Sacramento, these FBI offices are located far outside of the central city,' Dong added. The FBI Academy is currently located in Quantico, a town in Prince William County, Virginia, which is approximately 35 miles outside of D.C. A spokesperson for the FBI said that any relocation options were being evaluated to determine if it could save the bureau money while also serving as a sufficient facility. Since Trump took office in January, the bureau has undergone significant changes, beginning with its leadership. Trump nominated Kash Patel to serve as FBI director despite Patel having a history of taking controversial pro-Trump stances. The president then tapped Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who became a popular right-wing podcaster, as deputy director. After Patel was sworn in, he said he would relocate roughly 1,000 staff and agents out of the D.C. office and said he'd move 500 people to the Huntsville facility so the FBI could have more of a presence in other cities. Trump proposed moving federal buildings and agencies outside of D.C. during his first administration, but the plan did not have immense success, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management's headquarters from D.C. to Grand Junction, Colorado in 2019 so it could be closer to the land it manages. However, a review by the Biden administration found that the move caused more than 80 percent of the agency's employees to leave. Eventually, the headquarters were restored back to Washington D.C.
Edinburgh Reporter
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Lessons must be learned after publication of Day report
Lessons 'must be learned' after the publication of a report spelling out the council's handling of sexual harassment allegations against former leader Cammy Day, according to city councillors. The report found that Edinburgh council needed to improve its safeguarding measures, and that a 'prevalent' culture of hospitality needed to be looked at by the council. But it found that council officers had acted appropriately in handling complaints made to them. It also said that people who had complained about the behaviour of the former council leader experienced a 'significant perceived power imbalance' when making complaints about him. Council leader Jane Meagher said the report was 'largely reassuring' – but that recommendations made in the report needed to be carried out 'swiftly and comprehensively'. Kevin Dunion, former chair of the Standards Commission for Scotland, carried out the third party investigation that resulted in the report, which itself was commissioned by the council. Mr Dunion's investigation came after recent and historic complaints about alleged sexual harassment by former Labour council leader Cammy Day came to light. Councillor Day resigned in December 2024 soon after the first allegations were published in the press, and he was suspended from the Labour Party soon after. Multiple Ukrainian refugees said Cllr Day had sent them unsolicited images and messages on social media, even after being asked to stop. In one historic incident, which took place in 2010 and was reported in 2018, a then 15-year-old boy said he was sexually harassed online by Cllr Day. Since his resignation, a police investigation into his behaviour has found no evidence of criminality, with the former leader claiming he is the target of a political witch hunt. SNP group leader, Councillor Simita Kumar, said: 'It is imperative that lessons must be learned. 'A common thread throughout this report is that staff and complainants felt unable – or unwilling – to raise concerns due to the power and influence of the accused. 'We must establish better systems to support and protect those who come forward or the risk of abuse by those in positions of authority will persist.' Mr Dunion's report found that leaks of information about alleged leaks by councillors had impeded the city's whistleblowing process. Councillor Ed Thornley, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: 'I want to thank Kevin Dunion for his report and the work that's gone into it. He's highlighted several issues with the way the Council's processes aren't working correctly and the gaps in them. 'It's clear reading the report that where Council officers have been aware and informed, they acted appropriately and gave sound advice in line with the agreed processes. That is not the case for councillors. 'The two leaks of confidential information by councillors seriously undermine the integrity of the systems in place, and call into question the judgement of the individuals responsible. 'Such leaks represent a deliberate and blatant breach of the Councillors' Code of Conduct. The Lib Dem group will consider Mr Dunion's recommendations thoroughly over the coming days.' Edinburgh Council's leader, Labour councillor Jane Meagher said: 'I want to thank Mr Dunion for leading this review, and for his report. 'While I'm largely reassured by Mr Dunion's findings about how recent complaints have been handled by officers, clearly, there are elements of this report which are of serious concern to us as elected members and we must act on his recommendations swiftly and comprehensively. I have already taken practical steps to begin to change the culture in the City Chambers. 'Our priority must be to nurture positive working relationships throughout the Council where colleagues feel able to speak up if something isn't right, they know and trust the channels open to them and they feel safe and supported in doing so. 'I'm fully committed to taking Mr Dunion's recommendations forward and, subject to approval by councillors next Thursday, look forward to agreeing concrete actions when officers bring a further report back in August outlining our proposed actions in response to Mr Dunion's recommendations.' Independent councillor Ross McKenzie, who was part of the Labour group until 2023, said: 'It's now up to the Labour Party to decide whether they are comfortable with Cammy Day being a Labour councillor. 'The report contains details of an extraordinarily serious allegation made in 2018 and a pattern of sexual harassment allegations since. 'If Labour are serious about safeguarding then they will have conducted an exhaustive investigation into all of these allegations.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
ICE is using a government database to identify people who can easily be deported
ICE agents are reportedly using a new mapping app to track down migrants living illegally in the U.S who can be easily deported to meet Donald Trump's aggressive quotas. The app, an early version of which was known as Alien Tracker or ATRAC, allows agents and officers to view areas around the country with higher concentrations of people under deportation orders, making them more vulnerable to detention. Information about more than 700,000 individuals is recorded on the app and is available in a 'baseball-card-style format,' according to documents obtained by The New York Times. The Times reports that the app was launched with the help of Elon Musk and DOGE, before the billionaire's exit from the department late last month. According to documents seen by the outlet and accounts from ICE officials in Florida, the app also allows officers to identify immigrants with criminal convictions, further increasing the chances of a swift removal. 'The heat map shows where there are executable final orders of removal around the nation. And that officer then can just zoom in on those areas,' Garrett Ripa, head of the Miami ICE office, told The Times. To increase its reach, the tracker reportedly draws on data from multiple government agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Social Security Administration. The agency reportedly plans for the tracker to ultimately consolidate data from all interior agencies, including housing and labor departments, the Human Services Department and the IRS. It comes as the administration continues to push forward with its aggressive targets, spearheaded by senior White House advisor Stephen Miller. Miller, the architect of Trump's anti-immigration agenda, pushed ICE officials to ramp up arrests after falling short of the president's ambitions for record-breaking daily deportations, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal. More than 200,000 people in the U.S. without authorization have been sent back to their home country, according to internal government data obtained by The Times. Miller told Fox News late last month that ICE would set a goal of a 'minimum' of 3,000 arrests a day. He reportedly asked top ICE officials last month if they believed it was possible to reach one million deportations by the end of the year, according to people with knowledge of the meeting. To achieve this, he told law enforcement to 'just go out there and arrest illegal aliens,' per the WSJ, adding that he had told agents to target Home Depot parking lots and 7-Eleven convenience stores to find suspects. It was these instructions that reportedly lit the fuse for the raids in Los Angeles County, which have since devolved into violent clashes between demonstrators and police – and prompted Trump to summon 4,000 members of the state national guard. Alongside stakeouts of clubs, restaurants and other community hubs, internal administration documents reviewed by The Washington Post instructed ICE agents in more than 20 states to arrest people at courthouses, immediately after their cases are dismissed by a judge, or if they are given orders for their removal. Following that, immigrants who have been in the country for less than two years are placed into a fast-track removal process, which does not involve a hearing before a judge. Alongside the internal tactics of the agency, ICE has also sought help from members of the public, with a phone number for people to call and report on potential illegal immigrants. 'When you call our Tip Line, we listen!' the agency wrote in the caption of a video posted to X last month. The somewhat graphic footage showed the arrest of several men outside a home improvement store in Baltimore, Maryland. For those wanting an end to the hunt and a chance of future return to the U.S., the government has offered yet another solution. On Monday, the DHS announced on X that any immigrants who self-deported through its 'CBP Home App' would receive 'forgiveness of any failure to depart fines,' as well as cost-free travel and even a $1,000 'exit bonus.' 'By self-deporting, illegal aliens take control of their departure and may preserve the opportunity to come back to the U.S. the right and legal way in the future,' it added.
