Hacking group linked to Spain’s government which targeted Gibraltar resurfaces

A SPANISH hacking group called ‘Careto’ has resurfaced, almost a decade after it launched its last cyberattacks. 

Careto has links to the Spanish government, and evidence shows that they have been targeting individuals in many countries, including Cuba, France and Gibraltar to favour its ‘geostrategic interests’. 

This was revealed in an article by TechCrunch, in which they were able to obtain information from antivirus company Kaspersky.

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When Kaspersky first revealed the existence of Careto in 2014, its researchers called the group ‘one of the most advanced threats at the moment’, with its stealthy malware capable of stealing highly sensitive data.

The researchers now know that the Spanish government was behind Careto’s espionage operations. 

Kaspersky never publicly blamed the Spanish government for supporting the hacking group, but internally, they knew what was going on, according to the TechCrunch article. 

Careto is one of only a handful of Western government hacking groups that has ever been discussed in public, along with hacking groups led by the American CIA and a French government hacking group. 

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Early in its investigation, Kaspersky discovered that the Careto hackers had targeted a particular government network and systems in Cuba.

Spain has a particular interest in some individuals living in Cuba, since they have ties to the ETA terror group.

In 2014, a leaked US diplomatic cable noted that Cuba had given refuge to ETA terrorists for years. 

Earlier in 2010, a Spanish judge ordered the arrest of ETA members living in Cuba.