**Global Crackdown on Russian Hackers**
Imagine a group of hackers working together to disrupt critical infrastructure, arms makers, power companies, and public authorities. That’s exactly what happened with the NoName hacking group, which was linked to Russia. Now, German and Spanish authorities have issued arrest warrants for seven suspected members of this group.
**A Global Operation**
This crackdown is not just a local effort. It’s part of a global operation involving law enforcement and judicial authorities from multiple countries, including the US, France, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and more. The operation was coordinated by Europol, the pan-European police agency.
**The NoName Group**
The NoName group, also known as NoName057(16), has been accused of carrying out cyberattacks in Ukraine and on government, infrastructure, banking, health services, and telecom websites in European countries that have backed Russia against Ukraine. This group used Telegram to recruit over 4,000 volunteers who helped with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
**The Aim of the Attacks**
Prosecutors said that the aim of these attacks was not just to cause chaos but also to get media attention and influence decision-making in Germany. This is a worrying trend as European authorities are concerned about the scale of hybrid threats emanating from Russia.
**State-Sponsored or Not?**
While prosecutors did not specifically link the suspects to the state, it’s clear that these hackers were working with Russian interests. The use of Telegram and other channels to recruit volunteers and the organization’s payment methods all point to a sophisticated operation.
**A Growing Concern**
This case highlights the growing concern about cyber threats emanating from Russia. As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, European authorities are stepping up their efforts to counter these hybrid threats.
Read More @ www.reuters.com
