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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/04/netherlands-halted-russian-cyber-attack-on-chemical-weapons-body
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| Russia accused of cyber-attack on chemical weapons watchdog | Russia accused of cyber-attack on chemical weapons watchdog |
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| Dutch military intelligence disrupted a Russian cyber-attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Dutch defence minister has said. | Dutch military intelligence disrupted a Russian cyber-attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Dutch defence minister has said. |
| The attack, which was thwarted with the help of British officials, came after the cybercrime unit of the GRU Russian military intelligence directorate had also attempted a remote attack on the Porton Down chemical weapons facility in April and on the UK Foreign Office in March. Both attacks were unsuccessful. | The attack, which was thwarted with the help of British officials, came after the cybercrime unit of the GRU Russian military intelligence directorate had also attempted a remote attack on the Porton Down chemical weapons facility in April and on the UK Foreign Office in March. Both attacks were unsuccessful. |
| The attack on the OPCW is also believed to have been conducted by the GRU, which has been blamed by the British government for the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury in March. | The attack on the OPCW is also believed to have been conducted by the GRU, which has been blamed by the British government for the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury in March. |
| The Dutch defence minister, Ank Bijleveld, said four intelligence officials from the GRU’s cybercrime unit, known as Sandworm, had been expelled from the Netherlands after being caught spying on the chemical weapons body in April. | The Dutch defence minister, Ank Bijleveld, said four intelligence officials from the GRU’s cybercrime unit, known as Sandworm, had been expelled from the Netherlands after being caught spying on the chemical weapons body in April. |
| Whitehall officials said that at the time the OPCW had been investigating the attempted assassination of Skripal and his daughter in the UK and a chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria. | Whitehall officials said that at the time the OPCW had been investigating the attempted assassination of Skripal and his daughter in the UK and a chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria. |
| Dutch security services caught four GRU operatives “in flagrante” and immediately deported them to Russia, sources said, while retaining their technical equipment. | Dutch security services caught four GRU operatives “in flagrante” and immediately deported them to Russia, sources said, while retaining their technical equipment. |
| The team of four GRU officers travelling on official Russian passports entered the Netherlands on 10 April. On 13 April they parked a car carrying specialist hacking equipment outside the headquarters of the OPCW in The Hague. At that point the Dutch counter-terrorism officers intervened to disrupt the operation and the four GRU officers were ordered to leave the country. | The team of four GRU officers travelling on official Russian passports entered the Netherlands on 10 April. On 13 April they parked a car carrying specialist hacking equipment outside the headquarters of the OPCW in The Hague. At that point the Dutch counter-terrorism officers intervened to disrupt the operation and the four GRU officers were ordered to leave the country. |
| The “close access” hacking attempt, just a month after the Salisbury nerve agent attack, followed an earlier failed “spearphishing” attack on the OPCW headquarters. | |
| The Dutch authorities released pictures of the Russian agents as they arrived at Schiphol airport. The cyber-experts, who were accompanied by two support operatives, travelled on diplomatic passports with consecutive numbers under the names Aleksei Morenets and Evgenii Serebriakov. They hired a Citroën car and were picked up by the Dutch authorities with all the equipment in the boot. | The Dutch authorities released pictures of the Russian agents as they arrived at Schiphol airport. The cyber-experts, who were accompanied by two support operatives, travelled on diplomatic passports with consecutive numbers under the names Aleksei Morenets and Evgenii Serebriakov. They hired a Citroën car and were picked up by the Dutch authorities with all the equipment in the boot. |
| A senior British security official said: “For the GRU to get caught in this way would be considered a pretty bad day.” | A senior British security official said: “For the GRU to get caught in this way would be considered a pretty bad day.” |
| Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the hacking accusations as “big fantasies”. | Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the hacking accusations as “big fantasies”. |
| The British ambassador to the Netherlands, Peter Wilson, said British intelligence would continue “confronting, exposing and disrupting” Russian cyber-security attacks. | The British ambassador to the Netherlands, Peter Wilson, said British intelligence would continue “confronting, exposing and disrupting” Russian cyber-security attacks. |
| He said: “The GRU can only succeed in the shadows. We are all agreed that where we see their malign activities, we must expose it to the light together.” | He said: “The GRU can only succeed in the shadows. We are all agreed that where we see their malign activities, we must expose it to the light together.” |
| He said that intelligence from the laptops seized from one of the Russian operatives showed that they had previously also launched a cyber-attack during a world anti-doping conference in Lausanne, as well as travelling to Malaysia during the investigation into flight MH17, which international investigators said was shot down by a Russian military missile. | He said that intelligence from the laptops seized from one of the Russian operatives showed that they had previously also launched a cyber-attack during a world anti-doping conference in Lausanne, as well as travelling to Malaysia during the investigation into flight MH17, which international investigators said was shot down by a Russian military missile. |
| Wilson said that it was clear that the GRU was attempting to “clean up Russia’s own mess”. He added: “We will shine a light on their actions, we will expose their methods and we will share this with our allies.” | Wilson said that it was clear that the GRU was attempting to “clean up Russia’s own mess”. He added: “We will shine a light on their actions, we will expose their methods and we will share this with our allies.” |
| Senior Whitehall officials said the GRU unit had first attempted to hack into the OPCW remotely with a “spearphishing” attack from Russia, but when that failed it launched a “close access” attack by sending four agents in person to The Hague, where they attempted to access the computer network through wifi. | Senior Whitehall officials said the GRU unit had first attempted to hack into the OPCW remotely with a “spearphishing” attack from Russia, but when that failed it launched a “close access” attack by sending four agents in person to The Hague, where they attempted to access the computer network through wifi. |
| When they were caught by the Dutch authorities, they were found with a large amount of cash, technical equipment including multiple phones, and an antenna hidden under a coat. They were assisted by an official from the Russian embassy in the Netherlands. | When they were caught by the Dutch authorities, they were found with a large amount of cash, technical equipment including multiple phones, and an antenna hidden under a coat. They were assisted by an official from the Russian embassy in the Netherlands. |
| A joint statement from the British prime minister, Theresa May, and her Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, said: “This attempt to access the secure systems of an international organisation working to rid the world of chemical weapons, demonstrates the GRU’s disregard for the global values and rules that keep us all safe. | A joint statement from the British prime minister, Theresa May, and her Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, said: “This attempt to access the secure systems of an international organisation working to rid the world of chemical weapons, demonstrates the GRU’s disregard for the global values and rules that keep us all safe. |
| “The GRU’s reckless operations stretch from destructive cyber-activity to the use of illegal nerve agents, as we saw in Salisbury. That attack left four people fighting for their lives and one woman dead. | “The GRU’s reckless operations stretch from destructive cyber-activity to the use of illegal nerve agents, as we saw in Salisbury. That attack left four people fighting for their lives and one woman dead. |
| “Our action today reinforces the clear message from the international community. We will uphold the rules-based international system, and defend international institutions from those that seek to do them harm.” | “Our action today reinforces the clear message from the international community. We will uphold the rules-based international system, and defend international institutions from those that seek to do them harm.” |
| Last month, May pledged to step up action against Russian intelligence in the wake of the Salisbury attack. She told MPs: “We are increasing our understanding of what the GRU is doing in our countries, shining a light on their activities, exposing their methods and sharing them with our allies, just as we have done with Salisbury.” | Last month, May pledged to step up action against Russian intelligence in the wake of the Salisbury attack. She told MPs: “We are increasing our understanding of what the GRU is doing in our countries, shining a light on their activities, exposing their methods and sharing them with our allies, just as we have done with Salisbury.” |
| The British defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, called Russia a “pariah state” and said it would continue to be isolated by the international community. | The British defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, called Russia a “pariah state” and said it would continue to be isolated by the international community. |
| “These are the actions of a state acting in a reckless and indiscriminate manner ... these are not the actions of a great state; these are the actions of a pariah state and we will continue working with allies to isolate them and make them understand they cannot continue to conduct themselves in such a way,” he said. | “These are the actions of a state acting in a reckless and indiscriminate manner ... these are not the actions of a great state; these are the actions of a pariah state and we will continue working with allies to isolate them and make them understand they cannot continue to conduct themselves in such a way,” he said. |
| The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, called for tougher state action against Russian individuals. “If there is hard evidence that we can accuse the Russians of activities in our country which are unacceptable and even criminal, we have to hit them where it hurts: in the pocket. If we use our financial penalties effectively, that’s the way we can end the threats that we have from Russia at the moment.” | The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, called for tougher state action against Russian individuals. “If there is hard evidence that we can accuse the Russians of activities in our country which are unacceptable and even criminal, we have to hit them where it hurts: in the pocket. If we use our financial penalties effectively, that’s the way we can end the threats that we have from Russia at the moment.” |
| The revelations came hours after the British government directly accused Russian military intelligence of being behind a spate of “reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attacks” carried out on the orders of the Kremlin, including the hacking in 2016 of the US Democratic National Committee headquarters. | The revelations came hours after the British government directly accused Russian military intelligence of being behind a spate of “reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attacks” carried out on the orders of the Kremlin, including the hacking in 2016 of the US Democratic National Committee headquarters. |
| In an unprecedented statement, the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) had found that a number of hackers widely known to have been conducting attacks around the world were covers for the the Russian GRU intelligence service. He added that their attacks had been undertaken with the consent and knowledge of the Kremlin. | In an unprecedented statement, the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) had found that a number of hackers widely known to have been conducting attacks around the world were covers for the the Russian GRU intelligence service. He added that their attacks had been undertaken with the consent and knowledge of the Kremlin. |
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