14 DAY TRIAL // The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has recently confirmed a successful hack attack that occurred in November and which was launched by what are believed to be Russian hackers.
The OSCE, which is in charge of monitoring international election and military operations, explained that it was hit by a major cyber-attack in the first weeks of November when hackers managed to “compromise the confidentiality” of its IT network.
OSCE spokeswoman Mersiha Causevic Podzic told AFP that, although no systems were shut down following the breach, the attack put the network’s “integrity at risk.” It’s not known if any documents were stolen or if confidential information was accessed.
Fancy Bears suspected
Russian hacker group Fancy Bears is believed to be behind the attack, although no confirmation was provided until now. The OSCE has said it’s still investigating the attack and “the way in which the attacker accessed the OSCE was identified, as have some of the external communication destinations.”
Fancy Bears is the same group that was accused of launching cyber-attacks against the United States during the presidential race in an attempt to compromise election results. At the same time, the same hackers might have also been involved in other attacks that took place in Europe, including breaches that eventually compromised artillery systems of Ukraine and which helped pro-Russian separatists in Crimea.
France's ambassador to the OSCE, Veronique Roger-Lacan, suggested in a statement that it’s unlikely for the attack to have accessed any confidential information, as officials at the organization are always prepared for such hacks given the information they are working with.
“Diplomats at the OSCE are warned that attempted spying, in whatever form, are part and parcel of this organisation,” she was quoted as saying.
Russia hasn’t yet offered a statement on its possible involvement in the cyber-attacks launched against the OSCE, but expect the country to laugh at these accusations. The OSCE investigation, however, continues, and more info should be provided at a later time.