Spanish police arrest three people on suspicion of cyberattacks on countries supporting Ukraine

Spanish police have arrested three people accused of involvement in pro-Russian cyberattacks on government institutions and strategic sectors in Spain and other NATO countries, the Guardia Civil press service reports.

The Guardia Civil announced the arrests on July 20 and released a video of the operation. According to the police statement, two suspects were arrested in Huelva and Seville in southern Spain, while the third was detained in the Balearic Islands.

The individuals were arrested for “cybercrime with terrorist intent” related to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks overload websites or network resources with malicious traffic, making them inaccessible.

According to the statement, the attacks were organized by a Russia-linked hacker group called NoName057 (16). Police did not specify the exact targets or impact of these attacks, but said they “addressed to government institutions and companies in strategic sectors in countries that have taken a supportive position towards Ukraine.”

The law enforcement agency reports that the group’s main activity is conducting DDoS attacks with “its own proprietary software called DDoSia, which can be used by people who support its goals.”

According to the Guardia Civil, NoName’s manifesto stated that the hacker group’s mission was to respond to “hostile and openly anti-Russian actions by Western Russophobes.”

In mid-June, Swiss government websites were the victim of a wave of DDoS attacks shortly before a summit on peacebuilding in Ukraine. According to authorities in Bern, NoName057(16) claimed responsibility for this operation, which targeted federal government websites and organizations participating in the peace summit.

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