NATO condemns Russia's ‘malicious cyber activities,' vows to bolster cyber defense

NATO on Friday "strongly" condemned Russia's "malicious cyber activities," calling them a threat to allied security and a tool of destabilization amid Moscow's war on Ukraine.

“We strongly condemn Russia's malicious cyber activities, which constitute a threat to Allied security,” NATO said in a statement.

The statement expressed solidarity with Estonia, France, the UK, and the US, who have recently attributed cyberattacks targeting several NATO allies and Ukraine to Russia's military intelligence service (GRU).

It recalled that Germany and the Czech Republic had also attributed malicious cyber operations to APT 28, a group sponsored by the GRU, earlier in 2024.

NATO noted with concern that the same actor had targeted governmental entities and critical infrastructure across the alliance, including in Romania.

“These attributions and the continuous targeting of our critical infrastructure... illustrate the extent to which cyber and wider hybrid threats have become important tools in Russia's ongoing campaign to destabilise NATO Allies and in Russia's brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” the statement added.

NATO urged Moscow to halt what it described as "destabilising cyber and hybrid activities" and accused Russia of ignoring the UN framework for responsible state behavior in cyberspace.

"Russia's actions will not deter Allies' support to Ukraine, including cyber assistance through the Tallinn Mechanism and IT capability coalition," it said, adding that NATO will continue to apply lessons from the Ukraine war in countering Russian cyber operations.

Reaffirming its commitment to a “free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace,” the alliance called on all states, including Russia, to uphold their international obligations and act responsibly in cyberspace.

“We are determined to employ the full range of capabilities in order to deter, defend against and counter the full spectrum of cyber threats,” the statement concluded, vowing to respond “at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” in coordination with partners such as the EU.