Cybercriminals have launched a campaign against Moldova’s bid for European Union membership, Check Point Research reports. The newly discovered instances of information manipulation exploit fears about the costs and consequences of joining the Union.
With national elections and an EU membership referendum approaching, the stakes are high for Moldova, a country still grappling with its post-Soviet identity. The campaign – dubbed “Lying Pigeon” by Check Point Research – deliberately targets this sensitive moment. Instead of using traditional social media or news outlets, cybercriminals are leveraging targeted emails to impersonate official communications from EU institutions, Moldovan ministries, and political figures.
The narratives pushed by the cybercriminals aim to stoke citizens’ fears of being exploited by neighboring countries and depict Moldova’s future in the EU as an environmental and logistical burden, warn cybersecurity analysts from Check Point Research. False information also suggests that joining the EU would force Moldova to send volunteers to fight in the Ukraine war and donate vehicles for war efforts.
Exploiting Social Fears
The attackers are deliberately amplifying social anxieties related to environmental responsibility and involvement in the Ukraine conflict. By introducing emotionally charged and provocative false information into the public discourse, they seek to undermine support for European integration. This strategy aims to deepen societal divisions and raise doubts about the real benefits of EU membership.
This disinformation not only affects public opinion and elections in Moldova but also seeks to alter the country’s long-term geopolitical trajectory by eroding trust in European values. These actions indicate a multifaceted strategy by the attackers, who aim not only to destabilize Moldova’s political situation but also to prepare the ground for future cyberattacks.
– The described campaign is an example of a new era of disinformation, where threat actors creatively use more direct channels, such as emails, to influence public opinion and collect sensitive data. Operation MiddleFloor is an advanced operation that highlights the growing convergence of psychological manipulation and data harvesting. The future will likely bring an increase in such multi-dimensional operations, which not only disrupt democratic processes but also pave the way for more sinister, personalized attacks, – says Sergey Shykevich, Threat Intelligence Group Manager at Check Point Software.
Similar disinformation cases have been observed in other European countries, including Poland, where such campaigns often exploit local concerns about EU policy and energy security. In Poland, anti-EU narratives are often linked to topics of national sovereignty, energy costs, and fears of EU interference in domestic affairs. Poland was one of the countries targeted by disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing elections and democratic processes in 2024.
The Check Point report highlights the connections of the Lying Pigeon operation, pointing out similarities with other disinformation campaigns in Europe. Findings suggest that this campaign may be part of a broader, coordinated effort to weaken democratic processes across Europe.
According to EU DisinfoLab, EU countries face challenges from disinformation campaigns that often tap into fears about the loss of values, sovereignty, and impacts on citizens’ purchasing power. These actions aim to manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in the democratic processes of EU member states.
