Berlin, April 26 (QNA) - German authorities have accused Russia of being behind a series of cyberattacks targeting members of parliament and senior government officials via the messaging app Signal.

According to Agence France-Presse, a German government source said the federal government believes the phishing campaign targeting the app was most likely orchestrated from Russia, noting that technical authorities were able to contain and stop the attacks.

These attacks rely on sending fake messages impersonating the app's technical support service, obtaining sensitive data that allows attackers to access private conversations and groups.

The German public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation last Friday into these attacks, which targeted several lawmakers from different parties, including the parliament speaker and a senior member of the Christian Democratic Union, as well as government employees, diplomats, and journalists. Reports indicated that at least 300 accounts belonging to political figures were compromised.

Germany has been witnessing an increase in cyberattacks and espionage attempts since the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow has denied these accusations, saying they lack conclusive technical evidence. (QNA)