Cyberespionage attacks to ramp up amid Western crackdown against Russia

More cyberespionage attacks are expected by Switzerland's Federal Intelligence Service to be targeted at critical infrastructure operators amid the West's continued efforts to clamp down on Russia's intelligence networks that have become increasingly active following the Russia-Ukraine war, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Improved internal and external data acquisition capabilities are poised to be prioritized by intelligence services worldwide as they seek to launch campaigns against organizations with troves of sensitive data, including state administrations, financial service operators, and technology providers, said the FIS in its annual situation report. Aside from noting the cyberespionage activities as retaliation for reduced intelligence staff deployment due to the ongoing crackdown, the report also noted that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has prompted the entry of Russian intelligence service employees in Europe as refugees even though hundreds of Russian spies have been expelled since the war, echoing an earlier warning from Denmark's security and intelligence service.