Der Spiegel: Russia is behind cyber attacks that were initially thought to be carried out by ISIS
According to German experts, the so-called Islamic State is unable to carry out complex hack attacks. According to Der Spiegel, the truth is that Kremlin’s hackers are behind the cyber-caliphate.
So-called cyber-caliphate of the Islamic State terrorist group may be a Russian invention. German security experts believe that the so-called Islamic State isn’t yet able to carry out complex spy and sabotage attacks over the internet, Der Spiegel reported on the 18th of June with a reference to its own information. According to the edition, many things indicate that the attacks attributed to the cyber-caliphate were actually carried out by hackers from the Kremlin.
Such suspicions arose in April 2015, when alleged cyber criminals of the so-called Islamic State blocked the TV Monde channel and used its website for threats against Frenchmen. In light of new information, it’s quite possible that the attacks by the cyber-caliphate against the U.S. Central Command in 2015, the U.S. State Department and Saudi security agencies in early 2016 were actually initiated by the Kremlin, the edition notes.
Der Spiegel believes that more than 4,000 cyber agents are currently working under the leadership of Russian Security Services (Federal Security Service, Main Intelligence Directorate and Foreign Intelligence Service). In view of these threats the United States has announced their intention to increase the number of the cyber security staff to more than 6,000 employees.