Japanese Hello Kitty theme parks Sanrio Puroland and Harmonyland have been hit by cyberattacks, shutting down operations and incurring losses. The incident underscores the importance of cybersecurity.
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EU imposes sanctions on three Russian nationals over cyberattacks targeting key Estonian ministries.
The Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions on three Russians – Nikolai Aleksandrovich Korchagin, Vitaly Shevchenko and Yuri Fedorovich Denisov – for allegedly carrying out “malign cyber activities” against Estonia. According to the Council’s decision, these individuals are officers of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU) and belong to unit 29155. They are accused of cyberattacks aimed at gaining access to confidential information of government ministries such as the economy, social affairs and foreign affairs.
The hackers stole thousands of documents containing business secrets, medical records and other critical data. This GRU unit has previously been accused of attacks on government institutions, financial, energy and transport systems in NATO, EU, Central American and Asian countries. The unit has also been implicated in attempts to disrupt international aid to Ukraine since 2022.
According to the sanctions, the assets of these individuals are frozen, and travel and transaction bans with EU citizens are imposed. In total, the sanctions apply to 17 individuals and 4 entities.
Unit 29155 has previously been associated with a series of large-scale cyberattacks. In 2024, the EU imposed sanctions on the commander of this unit, Andrey Volodymyrovych Averyanov, and other members of the group for their destabilizing activities, including coups, assassinations and bombings in other countries.
These sanctions demonstrate the European Union’s determination to combat cyber aggression and underline that Russia continues to use cyberattacks as a tool to destabilize European countries.
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