Russia is behind a series of cyber-attacks targeting German politicians in the run up to the country’s parliamentary elections on 26 September, says Berlin.
“The federal government strongly urges the Russian government to stop these unacceptable cyber activities with immediate effect,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said, adding a ministry official had made the demand directly to the Russian foreign ministry.
The Ghostwriter hacking group had been combining conventional cyber-attacks with disinformation and influence operations for some time, she said.
Most recently elected members of the governing coalition parties have been affected with attempts to obtain their personal login details to commit identity theft, she added.
“The German government has reliable information on the basis of which Ghostwriter activities can be attributed to cyber-actors of the Russian state and, specifically, Russia’s GRU military intelligence service,” Sasse was quoted as saying by wire news services.
The government regards such “unacceptable activity as a danger to the security of the Federal Republic of Germany and for the process of democratic decision making, and as a severe strain on bilateral relations,” she added.
Russia has continuously denied allegations it has interfered with Germany’s elections or elections in any other county.
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