The German domestic intelligence agency has issued a rare public warning about the activities of a cybergroup within Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, citing recent joint research with U.S. agencies that points to the GRU group's efforts to target U.S. and global "critical infrastructure."
It did not include any specific, imminent threats.
In a post on social platform X on September 9, the Bundesamt fur Verfassungsschutz identified GRU Unit 29155 as a current threat and noted the group had "carried out cyberattacks and other reconnaissance activities against targets in NATO and EU countries."
It referred to its most recent joint cybersecurity advisory with the FBI, the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), and other international partners whose findings were published last week.
That advisory said, "The cyber actors, assessed to be affiliated with the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) 161st Specialist Training Center (Unit 29155), are held responsible for computer network operations against global targets for the purposes of espionage, sabotage, and reputational harm."
Western intelligence and other officials have alleged numerous cyber and other attacks from GRU actors that appear to have accelerated since Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
A U.S. grand jury last week charged six Russian nationals, including five GRU officers, with conspiracy to hack into computer systems and commit wire fraud stemming from an alleged effort to hack the Ukrainian government ahead of the launch of that invasion.
The attempt also spread around the world and included targeting 26 NATO countries, the U.S. indictment alleged. It offered millions of dollars in rewards for information leading to the defendants' locations.
GRU Unit 29155 is also reportedly known as Cadet Blizzard or Ember Bear.
It is thought to focus frequently on vandalizing websites and spreading stolen data.
The GRU has been accused by Western prosecutors and security officials of being behind bombings, poisonings, and other deadly activities in Europe since Russia initially invaded Ukraine in 2014, annexing Crimea.