All posts tagged: Espionage

How a fake Russian story became a real problem for Estonia – POLITICO

How a fake Russian story became a real problem for Estonia – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“For years we lived together without any problems,” said Svetlana, a pensioner sitting on a bench looking out over the river, where, in a mirror image, Russians on the other side could be seen enjoying the springtime weather, walking along a promenade and sitting on a pair of swings.  “Everything was good. There wasn’t any discrimination.” She accused politicians in Tallinn and Brussels of scaremongering and fueling tensions among Estonians. “There is no threat, Russia is not a threat,” her husband Gennady, agreed emphatically, wondering aloud why in Switzerland, where he studied and worked, having multiple languages wasn’t seen as a problem.. Although he held Russian citizenship he didn’t express any desire to live in Russia, and neither did his wife, an Estonian citizen. “We don’t belong there. We are just Russian-speaking Estonians. I will live here until I die. This is my place,” Svetlana said sadly. “But I feel worried for my children’s future here.”  The two declined to give their full names or ages or be photographed, out of concern that would put …

‘Undeterred’: Hungarian investigative journalist faces threats and espionage accusations from Orbán – Spotlight

‘Undeterred’: Hungarian investigative journalist faces threats and espionage accusations from Orbán – Spotlight

Published by Sam Flores

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Szabolcs Panyi, VSquare’s Budapest-based lead investigative editor in charge of Central European investigations and investigative journalist at Direkt36. His reporting into alleged ties between Hungary’s political leadership and Russian state actors triggered an unprecedented response: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán publicly accused him of espionage. According to Panyi, Orbán seeks to discredit independent journalism with false narratives of conspiracies against the government. His work examining communications between Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Sergei Lavrov appears to have triggered an aggressive preemptive effort to undermine both the findings and the journalist behind them. This reflects a deeper transformation within Hungary: the erosion of press freedom, the instrumentalization of state institutions, and the increasing convergence between political power and informational control. Despite intimidation, surveillance, and threats, Panyi says he remains committed to his investigative work, not simply as an act of defiance, but rather as a necessary function of democratic accountability. Source link

Russian government hackers broke into thousands of home routers to steal passwords

Russian government hackers broke into thousands of home routers to steal passwords

Published by skeptic

A group of Russian government hackers have hijacked thousands of home and small business routers around the world as part of an ongoing campaign aimed at redirecting victim’s internet traffic to steal their passwords and access tokens, security researchers and government authorities warned on Tuesday. This is the latest tactic by the long-running Russian hacking group known as Fancy Bear, or APT 28, known for its high-profile hacks and spying operations, including the breach of the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and the destructive hack that hit satellite provider Viasat in 2022. Fancy Bear is widely believed to be part of Russia’s intelligence agency GRU. The hacking group targeted unpatched routers made by MicroTik and TP-Link using previously disclosed vulnerabilities according to the U.K. government’s cybersecurity unit NCSC and Lumen’s research arm Black Lotus Labs, which released new details of the campaign Tuesday.  According to the researchers, the hackers were able to spy on large numbers of people over the course of several years by compromising their routers, many of which run outdated software, leaving …

Orbán’s spies were hunting me, says Hungarian journalist accused of espionage – POLITICO

Orbán’s spies were hunting me, says Hungarian journalist accused of espionage – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“That’s when they grabbed all the material they had on me, edited it, spun it around and published it as a sort of kompromat,” Panyi said, referring to a Russian term for compromising material. Szijjártó has acknowledged speaking with Russian counterparts before and after EU meetings, following reporting by The Washington Post that he gave Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reports on what was discussed, and the possible solutions proposed, during EU meetings. On Thursday, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás announced that the government had filed a criminal complaint against Panyi, accusing him of espionage and collusion with Ukrainian intelligence services. The complaint alleges he shared sensitive information about Szijjártó but does not disclose specific details or evidence. Prosecutors now have to decide whether to launch an investigation or not. The Hungarian Parliament and the Dunabe river in July 2021. | Gergely Besenyei/AFP via Getty Images Orbán and Szijjártó have maintained close relations with the Kremlin — including making multiple trips to meet top-level officials in Moscow — even after the EU …

MEPs told to leave phone at home for China trip – POLITICO

MEPs told to leave phone at home for China trip – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

A Parliament spokesperson said that “all necessary preventive and reactive measures are in place to ensure the security and safety of MEPs and [European Parliament] staff during official missions.” Both lawmakers and officials have been given “briefings, training and assistance regarding security,” they added. The European Parliament has used burner phones and security pouches to protect devices like mobile phones before, including on a trip to Hungary last year, POLITICO first reported. Other European Union institutions have beefed up their protections against cyberespionage, too. One senior official, granted anonymity to disclose details about security policy, told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook that the Council of the EU had guidelines stating that “no electronics are taken to the U.S. or China … When this is not possible, the electronics that are brought back must be wiped.” Commission officials heading to the United States have also been issued burner phones and basic laptops to avoid espionage risks, the Financial Times reported last year. Source link

Slovenia urges EU to probe reports that Israeli spies meddled in election race – POLITICO

Slovenia urges EU to probe reports that Israeli spies meddled in election race – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Slovenia goes to the polls Sunday in an election pitting the liberal Golob against right-wing populist Janez Janša, who currently has a narrow lead according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls. Leaked audio and video recordings, published earlier this month and apparently designed to tie Golob’s government to corruption, showed prominent Slovenian figures apparently discussing illegal lobbying and the misuse of state funds. Slovenian authorities this week announced that four operatives of Black Cube, a private intelligence firm founded by former members of the Israel Defense Forces, had visited the country and conducted “illegal surveillance” and “wiretapping.” Representatives for Black Cube did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story. In his letter, Golob pointed to previous operations carried out by Black Cube, including in Romania and Hungary in the last decade, to highlight its ongoing interference. “Given the continuous, systemic operations performed by Black Cube and the recent reported operations, they pose a direct challenge to the newly established European Democracy Shield,” Golob said. “As the European Centre for Democratic Resilience began …

EU sanctions Iran group that hacked Charlie Hebdo – POLITICO

EU sanctions Iran group that hacked Charlie Hebdo – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Capitals also sanctioned Chinese company Integrity Technology Group and Chinese firm Anxun Information Technology, also known as i-Soon, and its co-founders Chen Cheng and Wu Haibo, who are banned from entering the EU, the EU sanctions listing showed. According to the details of the sanctions, Anxun Information Technology targeted “critical infrastructure and critical state functions” of EU countries and sold classified information as part of so-called hack-for-hire services.  The United States Department of Justice in March 2025 indicted 12 people involved in i-Soon for cyberattacks the U.S. said it had carried out at the behest of Chinese security services. Chinese security services “paid handsomely” for the data the groups stole, the department said.  Integrity Technology Group, the other Chinese company, facilitated the activities of a Chinese state hacking group dubbed Flax Typhoon, which security officials say has targeted organizations in Taiwan for espionage purposes. Flax Typhoon used Integrity’s products and technology to hack into more than 65,000 devices in six EU member countries, the Council of the EU said on Monday. The U.S. Treasury Department …

Reform UK interested in MI5 help on candidate vetting – POLITICO

Reform UK interested in MI5 help on candidate vetting – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Reform leader Nigel Farage in 2024 blamed a “reputable vetting company” for oversights in helping sift its candidates ahead of the general election after one praised Hitler and backed Russia’s war in Ukraine. He apologized, adding: “We have been stitched up politically and that’s given us problems.” MI5’s role in vetting is limited to its own staff and certain levels of security clearance for specific government and official roles in Whitehall. Its offer to candidates is expected to be limited to helping parties assess foreign interference risks, rather than any official security clearance. POLITICO asked the six main Westminster parties if they will take MI5 up on its offer to assist in their vetting processes. The ruling Labour Party, the Conservatives, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats all declined to comment. The Scottish National Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The offer from Ken McCallum is part of a wider effort by the U.K. government and security services to shore up British democracy amid a wave of espionage activity from hostile …