Cyberattacks in series
The Prorusian hackers network that has raged in dismantled Switzerland
The Noname057 group (16), author of attacks against federal sites in 2023, was dismantled. The main instigators are the subject of arrest mandates.
After several DDOS attacks perpetrated against the websites of various federal authorities in June 2023, the public prosecutor of the Confederation (MPC) opened criminal proceedings against unknown.
IMAGO/Photo News
The Europol and Eurojust agencies announced on Wednesday the dismantling of the Prorusses Hackers group Noname057 (16)responsible for multiple attacks aimed at Ukraine and its allies, notably by targeting significant infrastructure in Europe.
“During a day of action on July 15, the botnetwhich used hundreds of servers around the world, has been dismantled and several suspects have been identified, including the main instigators living in the Russian Federation, “the European agencies said in a statement.
And botnet is a network of pitched machines to carry out malicious operations. The operation involved twelve countries and led to the arrest of two people, one in France and one in Spain, agencies said.
Switzerland also concerned
In Suissethe hackers group had notably attacked federal sites during the video address of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, before the Parliament in June 2023. The hackers had claimed these DDOS attacks, a mode of action aimed at rendering an unavailable online service by submerging it with traffic.
The public prosecutor of the Confederation (MPC) had opened a criminal procedure against unknown following these attacks, claimed later by the group. Others followed, during the visit of Alain Berset to kyiv or at the time of the Peace Conference in Bürgenstock.
Instigators of nonamely 057 activities (16) under arrest warrant
In the context of investigations carried out internationally, to which the MPC and the Federal Police contributed, several members of the group could be identified in the spring of 2025, wrote the MPC in a communiqué broadcast this Wednesday. The latter extended the criminal procedure to three key people from the group and launched an arrest warrant against them.
During the action coordinated by Europol, police interventions thus took place to carry out searches, to seizures of computers as well as to arrests. For the time being, no computer involved in the network or any domiciled person in the country have been identified in Switzerland, specifies the MPC.
For its part, “Germany has issued six arrest warrants against suspects residing in the Russian Federation. Two of them are accused of being the main instigators of Noname’s activities057 (16), “said Europol. In total, the authorities issued seven arrest warrants, targeting six people based in Russia.
DDOS attacks against “critical infrastructure”
“Noname057 (16) has posted its support for the Russian Federation since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Eurojust. “The group has led several DDOS attacks against critical infrastructure during events [politiques] leading, ”adds the European Union agency for judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
According to European agencies, the group led fourteen attacks in Germany, some having lasted several days and having affected around 230 organizations, including arms factories, electricity suppliers and government organizations.
Of the cyber attacks were also carried out everywhere in Europe during the European elections. More recently, the Netherlands were targeted at the NATO summit at the end of June, according to these same sources.
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ATS / AFP / Laure Schmidt / Lea Glor
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