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
Daily Mirror
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
All the clues that finally nailed paedo sex pest as prime Maddie McCann suspect
Christian Brueckner has been the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann since 2020, and investigators are in a 'race against time' to charge the convicted sex offender Currently serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72 year old American tourist near where Madeleine McCann vanished, Christian Brueckner has been the official suspect in the British toddler's disappearance since 2020 – yet he has always protested his innocence and has never been formally charged. Now, it appears this 18 year-long search has become the only means left for German authorities to keep the sex offender behind bars. "It's now or never," read a headline in Germany's Bild newspaper this week. Meanwhile, 47 year old Brueckner has made his feelings perfectly clear in an extraordinary interview with German journalist Ulrich Oppold, in which he described looking forward to "a nice steak and beer" upon release. Refusing to answer any questions about Madeleine, he instead admitted he planned to flee if released from prison. Here we break down Brueckner's dark past and how he became the main suspect in the missing case leaving Maddie's family in turmoil. READ MORE: Six major questions raised by Madeleine McCann suspect's letter - from DNA to photos First conviction In 1994, when he was just 17, Brueckner was first convicted of child sexual abuse, attempted abuse, and performing sexual acts in front of a child. But to avoid a youth custody sentence, he fled to Portugal with a girlfriend, prompting a European arrest warrant. After the couple split, Brueckner lived as a drifter, taking on various odd jobs before settling in a dilapidated house near the Praia da Luz resort in the mid-1990s. He frequently returned to the area over the years and has since been linked to the disappearances of seven-year-old Jair Soares and 16-year-old Belgian tourist Carola Titze, both of whom vanished around that period. In 1999, Portuguese authorities eventually apprehended him and returned him to Germany to serve his youth sentence, raising concerns over why he was not monitored more closely afterward. Police evasion Over the next two decades, Brueckner moved between Germany and Portugal, managing to evade criminal proceedings varying from drug trafficking to theft and sexual offences. Witnesses during a later rape trial described him as living a life of petty crime, often targeting holiday apartments with "open windows," the Telegraph reports. The rape for which he is currently imprisoned occurred in 2005. The victim, a 72-year-old American woman, lived in a flat just half a mile from where Madeleine would disappear two years later. Late one night, Brueckner broke into her home, assaulted her with a 30cm scimitar – a short, curved sword – before sexually assaulting her. The rape was investigated in Portugal but the police eventually shelved the case. It was only much later that a former accomplice of Brueckner's, who had stolen diesel with him, which lead to Brueckner's 2006 arrest, discovered a video of the rape and reported it to the police. In late 2019, Brueckner was finally sentenced. The convicted sex offender was reportedly staying in a camper van just several miles away from the apartment the McCanns were staying at when Madeleine vanished. In 2020, police revealed that his phone placed him in the vicinity on the night she disappeared. Brueckner has always denied any involement. Huge investigation 'error' The 48 year old was first associated with Madeleine's case in 2013 after the McCanns appealed for information on the German equivalent of Crimewatch, Aktenzeichen XY. Among around 500 calls, authorities received a credible tip. A former associate matched Brueckner to a sketch of a man seen by the site where Madeleine vanished. Following the McCanns' TV appeal, police in the German town of Braunschweig - Brueckner's residence at the time - sent a letter to Brueckner inviting him to be interviewed as a witness in the "missing person case of Madeleine McCann".. Jon Clarke, a journalist and author of My Search for Madeleine, argues this was a monumental misstep "They messed up, they sent a policeman around to his house and told him he had to appear in a police station three days later to answer questions in the case of Madeleine McCann," Clarke wrote."They actually wrote it on the letter, so he was completely warned, and in those three days who knows what happened?" An officer who spoke to Der Spiegel magazine in Germany also acknowledged the error, saying: "This should not have happened and in no way complies with common procedure in such a delicate case." Clarke suggests that Brueckner's evasion is partly due to the involvement of numerous German police forces, his travels across Germany, as well as trips to Portugal and back, which has led to a lack of communication between agencies. "In different police forces, and it's been very difficult therefore to piece things together," he explained. However, Brueckner's criminal past began to catch up with him. In 2017, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child in Germany in 2013 - the five year old daughter of a former girlfriend - and was sentenced to 15 months behind bars. The assault took place in a public park and explicit photos were later discovered on a digital camera when police were probing him for a separate domestic violence allegation. Shock Maddie claim Following his release from prison on sex assault charges, it is reported that Brueckner was in a pub with a friend when televisions broadcasted the 10th-anniversary coverage of Madeleine's disappearance. This allegedly led him to admit that he "knew all about" what had happened to her, before allegedly showing a video of himself raping a woman. It is believed that his friend then reported him to the authorities. In the same year, Helge B, a former friend of Brueckner's, reportedly claimed that the suspect confessed to killing the three-year-old, saying she "didn't scream". Helge once claimed he had stolen a camera and videotapes showing Brückner raping several women - and this evidence helped put him behind bars for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman, a crime he is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for. While Brueckner's lawyer alleged Helge's testimony was false, these claims were thrown out by a judge. Brueckner was apprehended the following year in Italy and extradited to Germany, this time on a warrant related to drug trafficking. He was imprisoned for 21 months for dealing drugs and subsequently convicted for the rape of his American victim. Bombshell new evidence In 2020, the German prosecutor announced that Madeleine was presumed dead and named Brueckner as the official suspect – marking the first time his name had been publicly disclosed. Investigator Hans Christian Wolters said in 2022: "We are sure he is the murderer of Madeleine McCann". The evidence for the announcement has remained somewhat ambiguous, but last month, a Channel 4 documentary, produced in collaboration with The Sun, unveiled a series of disturbing finds allegedly uncovered by police in 2016 at an abandoned factory once owned by Brueckner in Neuwegersleben, eastern Germany. Among the trove were said to be toys, children's clothing – including 75 girls' swimsuits – as well as chemicals and firearms. Also found were an 80GB hard drive and laptop, USB sticks, and memory cards, some stashed in a Lidl bag beneath the remains of his deceased dog. Reportedly, some of these items contained appalling communications with paedophiles, expressing desires to "capture something small and use it for days" along with images of child abuse. There have even been assertions that there is proof of Madeleine's death. "They are certain that he's the man who did it and they do have evidence that they haven't revealed," Clarke said. However, he clarified that they require all pieces of the puzzle to engage in a "tactical game" with Brueckner, who is backed by formidable legal representation. Brueckner is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, he was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. It comes after German and Portuguese police came together this week to search every property and pieces of land linked to Brueckner, ahead of his September release. This search, the most significant since 2008, included an abandoned farmhouse surrounded by partially collapsed outbuildings. Police were spotted removing mounds of earth from the scene, which was then taken away in plastic bags for further examination. Firemen were also spotted draining an abandoned well. Now, police are investigating samples of 'clothes and bones' found in last week's search, it is claimed. Initial reports suggested the operation - which took place 30 miles from where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in May 2007 - had failed to turn up any new leads. But now, it has been claimed that fragments of clothing and bones are to undergo testing this week after being uncovered at the scene. A source told Berlin Morning Post: 'Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory. 'As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things. 'The investigators have not officially commented on whether the finds could have anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance but that is clearly their hope.'
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Spirit Airlines flight thrown into chaos by last-minute bomb threat that triggered mass panic
A bone-headed passenger booked on a Spirit Airlines flight out of Detroit called in a fake bomb threat after learning he would miss his trip - sparking hysteria at the airport and forcing the flight to be canceled. John Charles Robinson, of Monroe, Michigan, is accused of calling Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday morning and reporting that a person planned to blow up the Los Angeles-bound plane. The 23-year-old had a ticket for Spirit Airlines Flight 2145 but missed the boarding window, according to the US Attorney's Office. After learning at the gate that he had to reschedule his trip, Robinson called the airport at around 6:25am and told the alarming lie, authorities said. 'I was calling about 2145… because I have information about that flight,' he told an employee, according to an affidavit. 'There's gonna be someone who's gonna try to blow up the gonna be someone that's gonna try to blow up that flight, 2145.' Robinson then described a person carrying a bomb, claiming the individual planned to bring it into the airport undetected, authorities said. 'Please don't let that flight board,' he allegedly pleaded. The flight was immediately canceled, forcing passengers and crew off the aircraft. Bomb-sniffing dogs and FBI agents swarmed the plane but found nothing. FBI agents learned Robinson had missed the flight and arrested him when he returned to the airport for his rescheduled trip to LA. Officials said the suspect admitted to making the call, ABC News reported. Robinson allegedly confirmed the phone number used to make the call was his and gave written permission to agents to search the device. He was charged with using a cellphone to threaten/maliciously convey false information concerning an attempt or alleged attempt to damage/destroy an airplane by means of an explosive, as well false information and hoaxes. Robinson appeared in court on Friday and was released on $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear before a judge again on June 27. 'No American wants to hear the words "bomb" and "airplane" in the same sentence,' US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said. 'Making this kind of threat undermines our collective sense of security and wastes valuable law enforcement resources.' Faux bomb threats are punishable by fines, prison time and felony charges. Culprits can face up to five years in custody, according to the Department of Justice.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Investments in UK tech sector will create hundreds of jobs, says Government
Hundreds of jobs are set to be created across the UK as part of a raft of investments in the technology sector, the Government has announced. It comes as Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told an audience at London Tech Week that the UK must be at 'the cutting edge' of rapidly growing technologies, such as AI. The technology sector is a key area of the Government's efforts to accelerate growth in the UK economy, in a bid to support efforts to increase spending. On Tuesday, a number of 'significant investments' in the sector were announced in areas including AI and fintech, which will see some companies setting up in the UK for the first time. Liquidity, a US-based AI fintech business, revealed it will launch its European headquarters in London as part of a plan to invest an additional £1.5 billion over the next five years. Meanwhile, Capgemini said it will expand UK operations with a new London headquarters. Netcompany, a Danish IT consultancy, will also invest £2 million to expand its Leeds office and is launching a new site in Edinburgh, which will ultimately create 150 jobs. Other investments include InnovX AI, a major European start-up hub, investing £14.7 million in a new London technology site, creating 30 jobs. Mr Kyle said: 'We have all seen over the last few years, just how rapidly and profoundly technologies like AI are transforming the economy, and our society. 'Britain can – and must – be at the cutting edge of this change. 'The era of hesitancy is over: we can be the masters of our fate, and through the measures I am announcing today, we will harness the vast potential of our trillion-pound tech sector to help remake our country for the better.' The Government said on Tuesday that it was opening its Science and Technology Venture Capital Fellowship for a second cohort and round of applications, to increase the capacity of the UK financial sector to invest in start-up businesses in the sector. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'Securing valuable high-tech investment is an integral mission of this government and seeing global investors put billions in the UK economy shows the plan for change is working, with more and more companies choosing Britain. 'With tech being identified as a key growth sector in our upcoming modern industrial strategy, we're not only helping attract and secure investment, but delivering long-term, stable growth that supports skilled jobs and raises living standards across the UK.'
