Russian hacker attack on the federal government?
According to a confidential situation report by the intelligence service, Russian cybercriminals are said to have sent targeted phishing emails to the foreign ministry in Bern shortly before the Lugano conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Shortly before Monday, July 4, 2022, when the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine began in Lugano, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), according to research by the "Sunday View" may have been the victim of a Russian cyberattack. The newspaper refers to internal FDFA documents, whose confidential situation report of the Swiss intelligence service (NDB) states that phishing attacks were central to the attack.
For the attack on Switzerland, attackers were supposed to have used so-called phishing emails to obtain sensitive information. According to the situation report, however, the emails were detected and rendered harmless.
Increase in cyber attacks
However, a spokesman for the State Department would not comment on the attempted attacks. In the case of attacks from Russia, it is often difficult to attribute cyberattacks to a clear originator, as the Kremlin is increasingly working with private organizations. The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) also declined to comment on the circumstance of a possible "qualified" attack when asked. However, the NCSC has repeatedly observed cyberattacks against the federal government since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict.
Source: Sonntagsblick