US Cybersecurity Firm Alleges Belarus-Run Disinformation Campaign In EU

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2021) US cybersecurity firm Mandiant claimed Tuesday that the Belarusian government and possibly military had for years run an influence operation in neighboring EU countries.

Its findings follow up on an April report wherein Mandiant claimed that a hacker group it labeled "UNC1151" was providing technical assistance to Ghostwriter, accused of targeting German lawmakers ahead of September polls. Back then, Russia was accused of running both groups.

Now the Mandiant threat intelligence team suggests with "high confidence" that Belarus has been behind UNC1151 and "likely at least partially responsible" for Ghostwriter's alleged malign operations.

It claimed that UNC1151 targeted NATO-aligned Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia before last year's presidential election in Belarus and expanded the scope to include "dissidents, media entities, and journalists" post-vote.

"We cannot rule out Russian contributions to either UNC1151 or Ghostwriter. However, at this time, we have not uncovered direct evidence of such contributions," the publication read.

Mandiant said it had "sensitively sourced technical evidence" indicating that UNC1151 was likely being run from Minsk and suggested a link between its operators and the Belarusian military. It said the hacker group appeared to have a military intelligence focus, without disclosing any sources.