Germany Denies Reports Of Cyberattack On ‘Critical’ Infrastructure, Banks

A cyberattack on German data service provider that works with government groups wasn’t a part of a larger, more comprehensive attack, according to Bloomberg.

According to industry spokesman Steve Alter, the attack was dealt with promptly and was “marginal,” according to the report.

He said it was most likely criminally motivated.

The BSI Federal Cyber Security Authority said it denied the reports of the attack by Bild newspaper, which the paper said might be revenge against the international sanctions passed down against Russia.

Bild said the group responsible was likely called “Fancy Lazarus,” and had also referenced a group called “Fancy Bear” which Bloomberg writes was responsible for the hacking of Hillary Clinton’s staff ahead of the 2016 election. According to Bloomberg, Fancy Lazarus had previously identified itself as Fancy Bear. The group has been involved in a number of “denial-of-service” attacks and have reportedly leveled the attacks against the energy, financial and insurance industries.

The attacks were aiming to destabilize the systems via flooding them with random requests for service. But according to Proofpoint, there was no indication that the Fancy Bear group had moved to advanced threats.

Russia has denied any involvement in the hacking, and President Vladimir Putin, after a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, reportedly agreed to consult on cybersecurity and urged that both sides “discard all conspiracy theories” about attacks.

Cyber attacks have become more of an issue since the pandemic, and the European Commission has formed a joint unit on cybersecurity to deal with the problem, handling everything from people and businesses to public services.

“All relevant actors in the EU need to be prepared to respond collectively and exchange relevant information on a ‘need to share,’ rather than only ‘need to know,’ basis,” the commission stated in the release, according to the report.