"We can say unequivocally that we can attribute this cyberattack to a group called APT28, which is led by Russian intelligence services," the German foreign minister said.

"This was a Russian-backed cyberattack on Germany and it is absolutely intolerable and unacceptable," added Annalena Baerbock, who vowed that the attack would have consequences.

The federal investigation into the attack that targeted the SPD in January 2023 has just been concluded, the minister said, without giving further details, during a press conference in Australia.

Speaking at the same press conference after a meeting in Adelaide, in the centre-south of the country, the Australian foreign minister said she was "deeply disturbed" by the Russian attack and assured Berlin of Canberra's support.

"We have joined the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand in attributing malicious cyber activities to APT28," Penny Wong said.

The group APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, is accused of being responsible for dozens of cyberattacks around the world.

The European Union's cybersecurity agency noted in 2023 that, according to the German press, an SPD official had been the target of a cyberattack, of Russian origin, which would have caused "a possible data leak" from the party.

In February, the German Interior Ministry announced that security forces had carried out an operation against APT28, in an initiative led by the United States security agency, the FBI.

The hacker group APT28 is said to have installed 'malware' (destructive software) in hundreds of Internet access points ('routers') in offices and private homes, creating a network that is said to have been used as a global platform for cyber espionage.

According to the FBI, the targets of the espionage activities were governments, military, security agencies and companies in the United States and other countries.

The APT28 hacker group has been active worldwide since at least 2004 and the German Interior Ministry considers it one of the most active and dangerous cybercriminal groups in the world.

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