German public prosecutors have opened an investigation into a suspected cyberattack on a Berlin-based political foundation carried out by a Russian hacking group, according to a report.
Authorities suspect the notorious Russian hacking group known as "Fancy Bear" or "APT28" was behind the December 2016 attack on the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), according to a report by German news outlet Spiegel Online.
The SWP advises the German government on foreign affairs.
Some believe Fancy Bear has connections to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency and was accused of attacks on U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
Germany's parliament came under a major cyberattack in 2015 that was widely blamed on Fancy Bear. Fears that information gleaned from the attack would be leaked to influence last year's German elections never materialized, however.
Spiegel reported that the hackers who attacked the SWP sent an e-mail under the name of a former employee with file attachments containing malware.
The SWP told Spiegel they did not believe the hack had been successful.