MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the MSB, the so-called Cloud Hopper hacking operation struck several IT companies who offer services to firms, organizations and government agencies, the Swedish division of the online news platform The Local reported.
The MSB notes that the attack, initiated by an organization called APT10, has been active since at least 2016, but may have begun as early as 2014. The APT10 reportedly used Swedish IP addresses to coordinate the hacking attacks and steal data.
The number of Swedish agencies subjected to the attack has not been confirmed.
Finland, France, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States are said to have also been targeted in the attack.
Cybersecurity is becoming a growing global concern. On April 1, Germany launched the Cyber and Information Space Command, a unit designed to counter digital threats. According to the German Defense Ministry, in the first nine weeks of 2017, there have been over 280,000 attempts to breach its cyberdefense system.
