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The Independent
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Dutch intelligence agencies say Russian hackers stole police data in cyberattack
A previously unknown Russian hacker group with suspected ties to the Kremlin was responsible for a cyberattack last year on the Dutch police and has also targeted other Western nations that deliver military support to Ukraine, intelligence agencies announced Tuesday. The agencies said in a report that the group, which they called Laundry Bear, is actively trying to steal sensitive data from European Union and NATO countries and is 'extremely likely Russian state supported.' 'Laundry Bear is after information about the purchase and production of military equipment by Western governments and Western deliveries of weapons to Ukraine,' Vice Adm. Peter Reesink, director of the military intelligence agency MIVD, said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the report. The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of Ukraine's war effort since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and has given military equipment, including F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv. The Russian hackers broke into a police account and accessed work-related contact details of all Dutch police officers in September last year, in a cyberattack that sent shockwaves through the force. The Dutch intelligence agencies published a detailed analysis of methods used by the hacker group to break into computer networks and cloud services. Erik Akerboom, chief of the domestic intelligence agency AIVD, said that outlining the group's work means that 'not only governments, but also manufacturers, suppliers and other targets can arm themselves against this form of espionage. This limits Laundry Bear's chances of success and digital networks can be better protected.' The attack discovered in the Netherlands is one of a growing number around the world. Last week, the U.S. National Security Agency said that hackers working for Russian military intelligence targeted Western technology and logistics companies involved in shipping assistance to Ukraine. And last month, the French government accused a hacking group linked to Russian military intelligence of cyberattacks over three years, targeting the Paris Olympics, French government agencies and companies.
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Dutch intelligence agencies say Russian hackers stole police data in cyberattack
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A previously unknown Russian hacker group with suspected ties to the Kremlin was responsible for a cyberattack last year on the Dutch police and has also targeted other Western nations that deliver military support to Ukraine, intelligence agencies announced Tuesday. The agencies said in a report that the group, which they called Laundry Bear, is actively trying to steal sensitive data from European Union and NATO countries and is 'extremely likely Russian state supported.' 'Laundry Bear is after information about the purchase and production of military equipment by Western governments and Western deliveries of weapons to Ukraine,' Vice Adm. Peter Reesink, director of the military intelligence agency MIVD, said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the report. The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of Ukraine's war effort since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and has given military equipment, including F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv. The Russian hackers broke into a police account and accessed work-related contact details of all Dutch police officers in September last year, in a cyberattack that sent shockwaves through the force. The Dutch intelligence agencies published a detailed analysis of methods used by the hacker group to break into computer networks and cloud services. Erik Akerboom, chief of the domestic intelligence agency AIVD, said that outlining the group's work means that 'not only governments, but also manufacturers, suppliers and other targets can arm themselves against this form of espionage. This limits Laundry Bear's chances of success and digital networks can be better protected.' The attack discovered in the Netherlands is one of a growing number around the world. Last week, the U.S. National Security Agency said that hackers working for Russian military intelligence targeted Western technology and logistics companies involved in shipping assistance to Ukraine. And last month, the French government accused a hacking group linked to Russian military intelligence of cyberattacks over three years, targeting the Paris Olympics, French government agencies and companies.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Time of India
Dutch spies say Russian hackers targeted police
Representative Image (AI) THE HAGUE: A previously unknown Russian hacking group known as "Laundry Bear" was behind attacks last year on Dutch police, intelligence services in the Netherlands said Tuesday, with sensitive work-related data stolen. The attack last September was part of a wider campaign by the Russian hackers against Western and Nato targets, according to an investigation by Dutch security and intelligence services AIVD and MIVD. "We have seen that this hacker group successfully gains access to sensitive information from a large number of (government) organisations and companies worldwide," said MIVD director Peter Reesink. "They have a specific interest in countries of the European Union and Nato," he added. Laundry Bear hackers have targeted armed forces, governments and defence contractors as well as IT and service providers in several countries, the Dutch authorities said. They have also tried to hit Dutch high-tech firms producing systems unavailable in Russia due to Western sanctions. The investigation showed that Laundry Bear was "highly probably a Russian state-supported threat actor", the agencies said in their statement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo The Dutch authorities also decided to expose the technical methods the hackers used to infiltrate systems, hoping this would allow for better defence. "This limits Laundry Bear's chances of success and digital networks can be better protected," said AIVD chief Erik Akerboom. "This increases our national resilience," he added.
Irish Times
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Dutch government summons Iranian ambassador after claims Tehran behind attempted murders
The government in the Netherlands has summoned the Iranian ambassador to account for his government's harassment of activists living abroad – after the Dutch intelligence and security service said it suspected Tehran of being behind two assassination attempts in Europe . In its annual report on Thursday, the AIVD took the unusual step of saying publicly it believed Iranian agents had been behind an attempt to kill activist Siamak Tahmasbi in Haarlem, west of Amsterdam, last June. Two men were arrested after climbing on to the balcony of Mr Tahmasbi's home. The AIVD report stated that one of the men was now also suspected of attempting to kill Spanish politician and Iran critic Alejo Vidal-Qadras in Madrid, in November 2023 . After the attempt on his life, Mr Vidal-Qadras, a co-founder of the far-right Vox party and former vice-president of the European Parliament, said he believed Iran was employing professional hitmen to attempt to silence critics with links to dissident groups. READ MORE The two assailants in Haarlem were in telephone contact with a third man who appeared to have been directing the operation remotely, but he escaped. 'The two assassination attempts fit the modus operandi Iran has been using for years: exploiting criminal networks in Europe to silence vocal opponents of the regime', the AIVD report stated. 'Based on intelligence, it is likely that Iran is responsible for the two liquidation attempts.' In response to the report, foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp summoned the Iranian ambassador on Friday, asking him to explain his government's actions as reported by the security service. It's not the first time the Netherlands has clashed with Iran over Tehran's harassment of its nationals living abroad. In 2017, Dutch-Iranian activist Ahmad Mola Nissi was shot dead in The Hague. He had reported at least seven threats to the police but he was not given protection. Mr Nissi's death led detectives to look again at possible links to the killing of another dissident Iranian, Ali Motamed (58), in Almere, in 2015. In both cases they were gunned down by attackers near their homes. In 2019, the Netherlands expelled two Iranian diplomats but did not specify why. Fear and outrage among the Iranian diaspora over the failure of the Dutch authorities to react more forcibly to the threats against Mr Nissa led to demands for a national reporting point for diaspora communities facing intimidation. According to the current right-wing government in The Hague – led by prime minister Dick Schoof, formerly head of the security service – a pilot programme for the reporting point will begin by the end of this year. In a message in the AIVD report, its director general, Erik Akerboom, said the West was experiencing 'a transition' from a world in which its security felt self-evident to one in which it had become 'the main concern'.
Straits Times
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Iran summons Dutch envoy to protest assassination attempts claim
The Iranian foreign ministry summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran on Friday, the official IRNA news agency reported, a day after the Netherlands called in Iran's envoy over suspicions that Iran was behind two assassination attempts. An Iranian foreign ministry official described the Dutch accusation as "laughable" and based on "suspicions or assumptions", according to IRNA. "It is regrettable that the Dutch diplomatic apparatus acts so easily on speculations injected by its security bodies and the Zionist regime (Israel), and even summons the Iranian ambassador over such an absurd fabrication," the official, Alireza Yousefi, was quoted as saying. The Netherlands summoned Iran's ambassador after the Dutch intelligence agency, known as the AIVD, said in its annual report published on Thursday that it was likely Iran was behind two assassination attempts in the Netherlands and Spain. Two men were arrested in June 2024 in the Dutch town of Haarlem after an assassination attempt on an Iranian residing in the country, the report said. One of the suspects was also believed to have been behind the failed assassination attempt on Spanish politician and Iran critic Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid in November 2023, it said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
