German air traffic control firm Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) has recently been targeted in a cyberattack which is said to have been carried out by Fancy Bear, a pro-Russian hacker group. This cyber attack which affected DFS’s office connections has raised alarm across the European Union cybersecurity industry.
While DFS stated that the attack was not being executed in a way that could hinder air traffic operations, the attack shows that hackers affiliated with Russia remain a constant menace that is constantly adapting. An official at the DFS office based near Frankfurt said that the attack took place last week and necessitated protective steps to prevent the impact.
This is the latest APT28 cyberattack pattern targeting different organizations; this group was known as the Russian spy agency’s hacker army. Because APT28 has previously targeted sectors that are critical to the United States such as defense, energy, and logistics, and has successfully breached DFS, the threats of foreign cyber attacks on essential infrastructure should be of great concern.
Germany’s security agencies have been notified, however the precise scale of the data leak is still unknown. This attack echoes the attack in the German Bundestag back in 2015 through which APT28 came to lime light. The event has come as a wakeup call as western nations particularly EU and NATO stands in solidarity for Germany amidst a cyber war.
As new attacks start appearing more frequent and involving 0-day exploits, therefore, it is time to step up cybersecurity in order to protect against future attacks that might not only impact communications but national security and public safety too.