Lek reveals Russian plans for cyber-attacks – Swiss nuclear power plants mentioned in documents

According to research from various international media, Russia has prepared large-scale cyber attacks with the help of Russian private software companies.

From confidential documents – “Vulcan Files” – would show that the Moscow IT company NTC Vulkan developed tools that allow state hackers to plan cyber attacks, filter internet traffic and spread mass propaganda and disinformation.

This is evident from a research group including the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, “Der Spiegel”, ZDF and “Der Standard” from Austria.

What is the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant about?

Russian training documents reportedly identify potential targets for attacks, including “crippling control systems of rail, air and maritime transport” and “disrupting the functions of energy companies and critical infrastructure”.

The Austrian newspaper Der Standard writes:

Although the accompanying images are only “mock-ups and not real targets”, coupled with the ambitions to attack critical infrastructure, it is still striking that a nuclear power plant in Switzerland is used as an example, according to the journalists.

What are the key findings from the Vulkan files?

“The Standard” summarizes:

Where does the information come from?

According to its own statements, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” received internal documents from the years 2016 to 2021 from an anonymous source shortly after the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine. The newspaper evaluated them together with international media partners.

Accordingly, cybersecurity experts and various Western secret services consider the documents to be authentic. The Vulkan company cooperates with the main Russian secret services FSB, GRU and SWR.

Neither the company nor the Kremlin spokesperson commented on the reports when asked.

The ZDF magazine “Frontal” reports:

What kind of Russian company is this?

“Vulkan is a pillar of the Russian police state. Vulkan develops software that can be used against its own people and against other countries,” a former Vulkan employee reported, according to ZDF. It is therefore not possible to determine whether and where the programs have been used. However, the documents showed that the programs had been deployed, tested and paid for.

Cyber-attacks on behalf of states are considered a modern weapon of war and propaganda and are usually difficult to prove. Allegations against Russia of deliberately using the internet for disinformation have been around for a long time — including after the 2016 US presidential election campaign.

Sources

(dsc/sda/dpa)