Cyberattack Targets Company Behind Austria Italy Brenner Base Tunnel Project
The company overseeing the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel, a major railway infrastructure project connecting Austria and Italy, has been targeted by a cyberattack, with a Russian-speaking hacking group suspected of being involved, according to local media reports.
BBT SE, the company responsible for managing the tunnel project, confirmed the incident to Austrian newspaper Tiroler Tageszeitung on Friday.
The report suggested that the Russian-speaking hacking group Everest could be behind the attack, citing its alleged connections to an international cyber extortion network.
According to research by US-based cybersecurity company ZeroFox, the group operates by stealing confidential information, threatening to release the stolen data publicly and demanding financial payments from targeted organizations.
BBT SE said it took immediate action after identifying the security breach. The company isolated the affected data source and informed the relevant authorities to address the incident.
However, the company declined to disclose whether it had communicated with the suspected hackers or agreed to pay any ransom.
Regarding the potential impact on the infrastructure project, BBT SE stated that its initial assessment showed no disruption to construction activities or other operational procedures.
The company confirmed that investigations were continuing to establish the full circumstances and extent of the cyberattack.
Meanwhile, authorities have yet to officially identify or confirm the individuals or group responsible for the incident.
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