Russian espionage threats hit Finland's critical sectors and Italy's businesses

Finland's intelligence services issued a warning after the United States National Security Agency and other Western agencies identified the Russian cyber‑espionage group known as Laundry Bear. The group has targeted email systems in public administration, critical infrastructure and defence industries across NATO countries, Ukraine and Finland, often using simple social‑engineering tactics and a zero‑day vulnerability in the Zimbra Collaboration Suite that was patched in winter 2025‑2026. Finnish authorities say the activity is likely to continue despite the patch and urge organisations to keep systems updated and monitor email security.

In Italy, a court in Milan convicted two entrepreneurs of collaborating with Russian intelligence. Judge Angela Minerva sentenced them to more than two years in prison for offering services such as dossier‑building on a drone‑industry entrepreneur, proposing free dash‑cam installations for a taxi cooperative and mapping surveillance systems in Milan and Rome, in exchange for cryptocurrency payments. The case illustrates a low‑profile, financially motivated espionage strategy that targets private‑sector actors as well as state interests.