Lyce · Hybrid Watch

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The Taurus Leak Hack.

On February 19th, 2024, in Singapore, during the Singapore Airshow, the audio of the call of German high-level military officials discussing sending Tauruses to Ukraine was intercepted by Russian hackers. Brigadier General Frank Gräfe, who was in Singapore for the event and joined the call using an unauthorized, unsecured connection. The breach was classified as “human error” rather than a compromise of the German military’s internal encryption systems. Gräfe dialed into the conference using either his mobile phone or the hotel’s public Wi-Fi. This created an unencrypted link that Russian intelligence (GRU/FSB) intercepted via “widespread surveillance” of the hotel’s network. Russian services were likely monitoring all communications coming out of hotels housing Airshow delegates, and Gräfe’s unsecured line provided a direct “open door” into the high-level meeting. The 38-minute audio file contained sensitive strategic discussions involving Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz (Chief of the German Air Force) and three other officers and was shared by Margarita Simonyan, head of Russia’s RT on March 1st, 2024. The audio included discussions about the hypothetical logistics of providing long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine and whether they could be used to destroy the Kerch Bridge (Crimean Bridge). The audio also mentioned of British and French personnel on the ground in Ukraine assisting with Storm Shadow/SCALP missile deployments

Occurrence
2024-02-19
Publication
2024-02-19T14:05:33Z
First observed
2026-09-24T06:09:10.079Z
Review status
Not assessed
Countries
DE
Updated
2026-09-27T23:56:59.668Z

E/M/R/S scores

  • EExistence0/4 · Not assessed
  • MIntent0/4 · Not assessed
  • RRussian actor link0/4 · Not assessed
  • SRussian state responsibility0/4 · Not assessed

Facts

No facts

Sources

  1. Role
    discovery_lead
    Date
    2024-02-19T14:05:33Z

    On February 19th, 2024, in Singapore, during the Singapore Airshow, the audio of the call of German high-level military officials discussing sending Tauruses to Ukraine was intercepted by Russian hackers. Brigadier General Frank Gräfe, who was in Singapore for the event and joined the call using an unauthorized, unsecured connection. The breach was classified as “human error” rather than a compromise of the German military’s internal encryption systems. Gräfe dialed into the conference using either his mobile phone or the hotel’s public Wi-Fi. This created an unencrypted link that Russian intelligence (GRU/FSB) intercepted via “widespread surveillance” of the hotel’s network. Russian services were likely monitoring all communications coming out of hotels housing Airshow delegates, and Gräfe’s unsecured line provided a direct “open door” into the high-level meeting. The 38-minute audio file contained sensitive strategic discussions involving Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz (Chief of the German Air Force) and three other officers and was shared by Margarita Simonyan, head of Russia’s RT on March 1st, 2024. The audio included discussions about the hypothetical logistics of providing long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine and whether they could be used to destroy the Kerch Bridge (Crimean Bridge). The audio also mentioned of British and French personnel on the ground in Ukraine assisting with Storm Shadow/SCALP missile deployments