Latest news with #NoName05716
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Europol-led global operation takes down pro-Russian cybercrime network
A coordinated international operation has hit the infrastructure of a pro-Russian cybercrime network linked to a string of denial of service attacks targeting Ukraine and its allies, the European Union's police agency Europol announced Wednesday. Code-named Eastwood, the operation targeted the so-called NoName057(16) group, which was identified last month by Dutch authorities as being behind a series of denial-of-service attacks on several municipalities and organisations linked to a Nato summit in the Netherlands. Europol said that the cybercrime network was also involved in attacks in Sweden, Germany and Switzerland. The police agency said the international operation 'led to the disruption of an attack-infrastructure consisting of over one hundred computer systems worldwide, while a major part of the group's central server infrastructure was taken offline'. Law enforcement and judicial authorities from France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the United States took simultaneous actions against offenders and infrastructure belonging to the pro-Russian cybercrime network, it said. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks, sabotage attempts and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine, including cyberattacks.
Fast Company
7 days ago
- Fast Company
Europol-led operation hits pro-Russian cybercrime network
A coordinated international operation has hit the infrastructure of a pro-Russian cybercrime network linked to a string of denial of service attacks targeting Ukraine and its allies, the European Union's police agency Europol announced Wednesday. Codenamed Eastwood, the operation targeted the so-called NoName057(16) group, which was identified last month by Dutch authorities as being behind a series of denial-of-service attacks on several municipalities and organizations linked to a NATO summit in the Netherlands. Europol said that the cybercrime network was also involved in attacks in Sweden, Germany and Switzerland. The police agency said the international operation 'led to the disruption of an attack-infrastructure consisting of over one hundred computer systems worldwide, while a major part of the group's central server infrastructure was taken offline.' Law enforcement and judicial authorities from France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the United States took simultaneous actions against offenders and infrastructure belonging to the pro-Russian cybercrime network, it said. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks, sabotage attempts and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine, including cyberattacks. The Associated Press is tracking them in a detailed map that shows the breadth of efforts to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine. As part of the latest operation, judicial authorities in Germany issued six arrest warrants for suspects in Russia, two of them accused of being the main leaders of the group, Europol said. Five of them were identified on Europol's Europe's Most Wanted website. One suspect was placed under preliminary arrest in France and another detained in Spain, Europol said. The Paris prosecutor's office said one person is in custody in France and communications equipment has been seized. No charges have yet been filed. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved in the operation. The attorney general's office in Switzerland, which is not an EU member country, said in a statement Wednesday that joint investigations between Europol and Swiss federal police helped identify three leading members of the group, which is alleged to have targeted more than 200 Swiss websites. Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal case over the incidents in June 2023, and since then identified several other denial-of-service attacks attributed to the activist group. The attacks included a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Swiss parliament and the popular Eurovision Song Contest, held in in Basel earlier this year. Europol said members of the cybercrime group initially targeted Ukrainian institutions, 'but have shifted their focus to attacking countries that support Ukraine in the ongoing defence against the Russian war of aggression, many of which are members of NATO.' Law enforcement authorities in countries involved in the operation contacted hundreds of people believed to support the group to inform them of the crackdown and their alleged liability for its actions. 'Individuals acting for NoName057(16) are mainly Russian-speaking sympathisers who use automated tools to carry out distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Operating without formal leadership or sophisticated technical skills, they are motivated by ideology and rewards,' Europol said. It added that people recruited by the group were paid in cryptocurrency and motivated using online-gaming dynamics like leader boards and badges. 'This gamified manipulation, often targeted at younger offenders, was emotionally reinforced by a narrative of defending Russia or avenging political events,' Europol said.
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Europol-coordinated operation takes down pro-Russian hacking group
EU anti-crime bodies Europol and Eurojust said Wednesday they had coordinated an international operation to dismantle a pro-Russian hacking group accused of launching thousands of online attacks against Ukraine and its allies. The network, known as NoName057(16), was disrupted following raids in 12 countries between July 14 and 17, they said. The operation led to the arrest of two people, one in France and one in Spain, they added. "The actions led to the disruption of an attack-infrastructure consisting of over one hundred computer systems worldwide, while a major part of the group's central server infrastructure was taken offline," Europol said in a statement. Authorities issued seven international arrest warrants, including six for suspects based in Russia. Two of those are believed to be the principal organisers of the group's activities, the statement said. The hacker group is responsible for multiple attacks on critical infrastructure such as electricity suppliers and public transport systems in Europe, according to the agencies. The hackers used distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which overload websites and applications with targeted requests until they become inaccessible. "Offenders associated to the NoName057(16) cybercrime network targeted primarily Ukraine, but have shifted their focus to attacking countries that support Ukraine in the ongoing defence against the Russian war of aggression, many of which are members of NATO," the statement said. The group carried out 14 attacks in Germany, some lasting several days and affecting around 230 organisations including arms factories, power suppliers and government agencies, the European agencies said. Attacks were also carried out across Europe during the European elections. Swedish government and banking websites were hit, while in Switzerland attacks coincided with a June 2023 EU speech by Ukraine's president and the June 2024 peace summit. Most recently, the Netherlands was attacked during the NATO summit in late June, the agencies added.
Bloomberg
16-07-2025
- Bloomberg
Pro-Russian Hacktivist Group Disrupted by European Authorities
European authorities said they've disrupted the computer infrastructure of a pro-Russian hacktivist group that's claimed responsibility for more than 1,000 denial-of-service attacks since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The law enforcement actions targeted a group calling itself NoName057(16) and consisted of a 'day of action' on Tuesday that involved the takedown of more than 100 servers worldwide used by the group to launch attacks, according to an announcement on Wednesday from Europol and Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation. The actions also included two arrests in France and Spain, searches of two dozen homes in Spain, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Poland, and the issuance of arrest warrants for six Russian nationals, including two believed to the 'main instigators' responsible for the group's attacks, the authorities said.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Europol says pro-Russia hacking group broken up
THE HAGUE: EU anti-crime bodies Europol and Eurojust said Wednesday they had coordinated an international operation to dismantle a pro-Russian hacking group accused of launching thousands of online attacks against Ukraine and its allies. The network, known as NoName057(16), was disrupted following raids in 12 countries between July 14 and 17, they said. Germany and Spain led the legal action, while police made arrests in France and Spain.
