German media: Russian hackers passed Bundestag documents to WikiLeaks
In early 2015, a cyber attack took place on the database of the German Bundestag's administration and classified documents belonging to the committee responsible for investigating large-scale surveillance by the US National Security Agency (NSA) appeared on WikiLeaks, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported, citing a source in German intelligence.
The documents first appeared on WikiLeaks on December 1st and are dated from late 2014 to early 2015. The documents had been stored on the servers of the administration of the Bundestag building and the only ones who had access to them were the deputies who are members of the committee for the NSA.
Earlier, in May 2015, WikiLeaks published part of the documents of the Committee of Bundestag on NSA, specifically documents pertaining to testimonies that were given from May 2014 to February 2015.
In addition, the released materials had the lowest level of classification, as highly classified material was not stored on servers, and were kept in a secure location in the Bundestag building to which only committee members had access. According to German experts, the documents released by WikiLeaks are probably materials that were obtained from a cyber attack on the German Bundestag last year. The responsibility for the hacking of servers was laid on Russia.
German law enforcement agencies believe that there is a connection between this and the publication of incriminating documents of the US Democratic Party after a cyber attack. American and German intelligence agencies presume that Russia was behind these attacks.
The German Federal Intelligence Service and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution following the false news about "girl Liza" that was spread in Germany are preparing a report on possible Russian cyber attacks and methods of disinformation. According to the FAS, the results of the security services’ work will be presented early next year, after the government decides how to deal with the possible threats. German politicians and intelligence leadership has repeatedly talked about the danger of cyber attacks from Russia on the eve of 2017 Bundestag elections, the goal of which may be the destabilization of the political situation in Germany.