EU accuses Russia of complicity in 'Ghostwriter' cyberattack campaign

The European Union accused the Russian state on Friday of complicity in a cyberattack campaign known as Ghostwriter targeting some member states aimed at fueling disinformation and harming democratic processes.

The "malicious" activities have taken aim at members of parliaments, government officials, politicians, journalists and civil society figures in the EU, a joint statement from the 27 member states published two days before Germany's federal election said.

Hackers worked "by accessing computer systems and personal accounts and stealing data," the EU said, describing them as a threat to security, democratic values and the "core functioning" of societies.

The bloc called on Moscow to "adhere to the norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace," warning it would discuss the matter at upcoming meetings and "consider taking further steps."

Germany's prosecutor general opened investigations earlier this month into a number of recent cyberattacks targeting German politicians, with the involvement of Russian intelligence suspected.

The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations from Berlin, made in the run-up to Sunday's poll.

German state security authorities informed the parliament at least three times this year about attempts to phish - trying to obtain private details with misleading messages - lawmakers' email accounts according to the German Foreign Office.

Most recently, several lawmakers from the governing coalition parties - the centre-right CDU/CSU and the centre-left SPD - were affected, the ministry said.

It was feared that the hacks could be used to publish personal information about the victims or even fabricate false news.

The EU said on Friday that hacking attempts could undermine democratic institutions by "enabling disinformation and information manipulation."

Last year, the EU imposed new sanctions on Russia in response to a massive hacking attack on the German parliament in 2015.

Back then, many computers in lawmakers' offices were infected with spyware, including ones in Chancellor Angela Merkel's office. The parliament's entire IT system had to be overhauled. A significant amount of data was also stolen.