Dutch intelligence agencies say Russian hackers stole police data in cyberattack

Key Points

• Intelligence agencies identified a previously unknown Russian hacker group called Laundry Bear, “extremely likely Russian state supported,” as responsible for a cyberattack on Dutch police last September.
• Laundry Bear stole contact details of all Dutch police officers and is targeting EU and NATO countries to gather sensitive data on military equipment purchases and Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
• The Netherlands published a detailed analysis of Laundry Bear’s tactics to help governments, manufacturers, and suppliers strengthen defenses against such espionage.
• The U.S. NSA and French government have also reported Russian-linked hackers targeting Western technology and logistics firms supporting Ukraine, as well as launching attacks on the Paris Olympics and French agencies.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A previously unknown Russian hacker group with suspected ties to the Kremlin was responsible for a cyberattack last year on the Dutch police and has also targeted other Western nations that deliver military support to Ukraine, intelligence agencies announced Tuesday.

The agencies said in a report that the group, which they called Laundry Bear, is actively trying to steal sensitive data from European Union and NATO countries and is “extremely likely Russian state supported.”

“Laundry Bear is after information about the purchase and production of military equipment by Western governments and Western deliveries of weapons to Ukraine,” Vice Adm. Peter Reesink, director of the military intelligence agency MIVD, said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the report.

The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of Ukraine's war effort since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and has given military equipment, including F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv.

The Russian hackers broke into a police account and accessed work-related contact details of all Dutch police officers in September last year, in a cyberattack that sent shockwaves through the force.

The Dutch intelligence agencies published a detailed analysis of methods used by the hacker group to break into computer networks and cloud services.

Erik Akerboom, chief of the domestic intelligence agency AIVD, said that outlining the group's work means that “not only governments, but also manufacturers, suppliers and other targets can arm themselves against this form of espionage. This limits Laundry Bear’s chances of success and digital networks can be better protected.”

The attack discovered in the Netherlands is one of a growing number around the world.

Last week, the U.S. National Security Agency said that hackers working for Russian military intelligence targeted Western technology and logistics companies involved in shipping assistance to Ukraine.

And last month, the French government accused a hacking group linked to Russian military intelligence of cyberattacks over three years, targeting the Paris Olympics, French government agencies and companies.