Attack on NATO includes data from 31 countries; hacktivists claim human rights motivation

Hackers allegedly breached a NATO server and made off with copies of hundreds of documents that they posted publicly on July 24.

The hacktivist group SiegedSec, a shadowy anti-government group of self-declared “gay furries,” claimed in a message posted to Telegram that the attack has nothing to do with the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“We’d like to emphasize this attack on NATO has nothing to do with the war between Russia and Ukraine, this is a retaliation against the countries of NATO for their attacks on human rights,” the group said, adding, “We hope this attack will get the message across to each country within NATO.”

The NATO hack allegedly exposed sensitive information from 31 countries. The 700+ files reportedly include user data and documents which could impact member countries. An analysis by cybersecurity firm CloudSek found that the leaked data totaled 845 MB.

Political motivations. SiegedSec has targeted US states in the past, including Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Texas in late June. Those attacks were, for the most part, done to support trans rights, the group said.

“Money is not our main goal, most of the time we just want to have fun and destroy stuff,” SiegedSec told CyberScoop at the time.

The gang also attacked Kentucky and Arkansas state government agencies over policies in those states restricting abortion rights.

Survey the damage. NATO is investigating the recent breach, a spokesperson told BleepingComputer on July 26.

“We face malicious cyber activity on a daily basis and NATO and Allies are responding to this reality, including by strengthening our ability to detect, prevent and respond to such activities,” the spokesperson said.