The European Union is punishing a group of hackers who allegedly work for the Russian intelligence service GROe for the high-profile attack on the German Bundestag in 2015.
The attack troubled the parliament’s computer system for days, and a lot of data was stolen. Even Chancellor Angela Merkel’s email account was not secure.
The sanctions apply to the intelligence officer allegedly behind the attack, the Russian Dmitri Badin, and to his chief Igor Kostjukov. They can no longer travel to the EU and can no longer access any European credits.
The latter also applies to their entire department of the GROe, which is officially called GTsST but is better known under names such as Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm and Strontium.
The GTsST also had a hand in the foiled computer burglary at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague in 2018, the EU recalls.
The hacker team is responsible for cyberattacks with significant consequences that pose a threat to the union or its member states, according to Brussels.
