Germanprosecutors Friday launched a spying investigation into phishing attacks targeting lawmakers on the Signal messaging app, with an MP saying the latest Russia-directed plot against Germany was a “wake-up call”.
The wave of attacks has allegedly been directed at MPs from several parties including the speaker of parliament, a senior member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU party, as well as civil servants, diplomats and journalists.
Germany, Kyiv’s biggest provider of miliary aid, has been battling a surge of cyberattacks, as well as espionage and sabotage plots since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow denies being behind any such actions.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office told AFP it had launched an investigation into the phishing attacks “based on an initial suspicion of espionage”.
It did not name Russia or give more details, but suspicion quickly fell on Moscow.
“The latest phishing attempt fromRussiatargeting German politicians and journalists is a wake-up call for all of us,” said Marc Heinrichmann, a CDU lawmaker who heads a committee overseeing the country’s intelligence services.
The attack makes “painfully clear” that everyone “must remain vigilant,” he said.
“What may seem like a harmless message at first glance could, in today’s world, be a targeted espionage attempt by foreign powers.”
The attacks work by sending messages purporting to come from Signal support.
Source: Insider Paper
