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The Russian secret service is notorious for its cyber-attacks on enemy states. Germany is also a frequent target of Putin’s agents.
Now they seem to have come up with a new creative way to get useful information. With the help of the dating platform Tinder, German soldiers and politicians must be lured into love traps.
Soldiers and politicians as sources of information for the Kremlin
As the “Welt am Sonntag” reports, there are several Russian agents on Tinder specifically looking for Bundeswehr soldiers and politicians. The goal is to win these as a source of information for the Kremlin. The agents are mainly interested in data from Germany and information about the situation in Ukraine.
This Russian tactic has not gone unnoticed by the German Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD). When asked by “Welt am Sonntag” he confirmed that “members of other intelligence services (for example Russia) use social media to make targeted contacts with members of the Bundeswehr and to try to skim or initiate them”. This also applies to Tinder, among others.
Russia will expand cyber attacks
According to the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, such attacks are to be expected more often in the future. One can imagine that Russia will mainly expand its cyber attacks.
Only at the end of March did it come to light that Russia was collaborating with private software companies on major cyber attacks against Western countries. The so-called “Vulcan Files” even mentioned possible targets. The “disruption of control systems of rail, air and maritime transport” and the “disruption of the functions of energy companies and vital infrastructure” are mentioned remarkably often.
Politicians are calling for a change of course in counterintelligence
German politicians are therefore calling for active cyber defense as soon as possible. “In the field of cyber defense, we finally need to create structural and legal framework conditions to develop cyber deterrence and cyber diplomacy on a tactical and operational level,” foreign CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter (59) told “Welt”.
According to Kiesewetter, he does not have Tinder himself. However, he has been finding a large number of phishing emails and bot messages in his inbox for months, which he would of course not click on.
Kiesewetter suggests several options for what he thinks can be done to counter the threat posed by Russia’s secret services. The German thinks a general visa ban for all tourists is a sensible idea. He also calls for a “massive security check of so-called mobilization resisters” – i.e. those men who do not want to go to Putin’s war and seek protection abroad. He is also in favor of further evictions – who exactly he means is not explained. (ceded)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
