TeamViewer blames Russia-linked hackers for cyberattack

The incident follows a series of sophisticated cyber activities attributed to the hacker group APT29.

TeamViewer

German software company TeamViewer announced on Friday that it was the target of a cyberattack earlier this week. The company accused the hacker group APT29 from Russia, known as ‘Cozy Bear’ or Midnight Blizzard, of being behind the breach. Western intelligence agencies allege that APT29 operates on behalf of Russia’s foreign spy agency.

The attack occurred on Wednesday, with the hackers gaining access to TeamViewer’s corporate IT environment. However, the company confirmed that neither its product environment nor customer data were compromised. The news follow a similar incident in March, where Alphabet’s Mandiant cyber unit caught the same group attempting to trick key German political figures with a phishing email.

The cyberattack has had immediate financial repercussions for TeamViewer. As of 1152 GMT, shares in the company had dropped by 10%, marking their worst trading day since November 2023. The incident underscores the persistent threat of cyberespionage faced by companies worldwide.