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Multiple news sources have alleged the Swiss Foreign Ministry was cyber-attacked by Russian Hackers. But according to the Keystone-SDA news agency the NCSC has denied any knowledge of the cyber attack and maintains that the Swiss Intelligence Service routinely deals with phishing attacks using duplicitous emails to gain confidential information. The Swiss authorities endorse this message and disregard the alleged reports of the Russian cyber attack.

However, according to another newspaper SonntagsBlick insists phishing emails were sent to the Swiss Foreign Ministry by Russian Hackers while quoting a classified report. According to the report the emails were identified and the threat was warded off.

Although the report by the newspaper doesn’t present any confirmation of the attacks officially, it hypothesizes Russia’s attempt at espionage on international conference preparation hosted by Switzerland on the issue of Ukraine.

Federal Intelligence Service of Switzerland in its newest report expressed about espionage and called it an  “ever-present phenomenon” and “Geneva, as an international center, remains an espionage hotspot.”

FIS director Christian Dussey said in a statement:

“his service had noted a steady increase in espionage activities in Switzerland over the past few years.”

While giving an interview to  TagesAnzeiger newspaper he added:

“the threat of cyberattacks has grown and it is very real”.

Overall the Swiss authorities have denied any threat of Russian cyber attack exclusively and deemed such attacks a regular occurrence nothing they have not dealt with before.