Thought Leadership
International authorities take action against a hacker group. Their targets were also in Germany and were intended to disrupt politics and society.
German and international law enforcement authorities have launched a joint operation against the hacker group “NoName057(16)”. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), a botnet consisting of globally distributed servers was shut down, which was used for targeted digital overload attacks on websites. The aim of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks is to make the attacked website unavailable.
According to Europol, a total of 12 countries were involved in the international operation. These were mainly European countries and the USA. Europol coordinated the operation. In Germany, the BKA and the Public Prosecutor General’s Office in Frankfurt am Main were in charge.
Dobrindt: Successful strike against hacker network
Following the measures, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) commented: “In the past few hours, we have successfully struck a blow against a hacker network that has carried out several cyber attacks in Germany in the past.”
“We are prosecuting the group’s leaders, members and supporters for what they are: a criminal organization,” said Benjamin Krause, Head of the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime at the Public Prosecutor General’s Office in Frankfurt. BKA President Holger Münch emphasized that such attacks on the Internet have “serious consequences, including for the public’s sense of security”. They must therefore be consistently prosecuted and prevented where possible.
Arrest warrants and searches
According to the information provided, a total of three properties were searched in Germany that are attributed to suspected supporters of the group. Two of these were in Bavaria and one in Berlin. According to the BKA, 24 searches were carried out internationally. The evidence seized is currently being evaluated.
In Germany, a total of six arrest warrants were also issued for Russian nationals or suspects residing in Russia. Two of them are accused of being the main perpetrators behind the “NoName057(16)” group. The Spanish authorities have also obtained an arrest warrant – all of the suspects are being searched for internationally and in some cases publicly.
In addition, the authorities informed more than 1,000 as yet unidentified supporters of the group about the measures via a messenger service and informed them that the actions were punishable under German law.
Group with thousands of supporters
According to the BKA, “NoName057(16)” is an ideologically driven hacktivist collective that has positioned itself as a supporter of Russia and carries out cyberattacks in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the group has attracted public attention via Messenger and recruited supporters. According to estimates by law enforcement authorities, the supporter network comprises more than 4,000 users.
Germany has been the target of a total of 14 waves of attacks since investigations began in November 2023. Some of these lasted for several days. Around 250 companies and facilities were affected, including critical infrastructure companies such as defense companies, electricity suppliers and transport companies, as well as public institutions and authorities. According to the authorities, the main aim of the attacks on German targets was to attract media attention and “thereby influence political and/or social decisions in Germany.”
Europol: Attacks at the NATO summit too
According to Europol, the countries involved in the operation had reported a series of cyberattacks for which the hacker group was responsible. The attacks primarily concerned NATO member states and their support for Ukraine. The targets of the attacks were ports, banks and authorities. According to the Dutch authorities, the hackers were also responsible for several DDoS attacks during the NATO summit in The Hague in June.
dpa
