The sender of the threatening email sent to schools in Cyprus on May 17 appears to have used services from a Swiss company, police spokesperson Christos Andreou said on Wednesday. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), he said the latest piece of information emerged from the Russian response provided to the Cypriot authorities.
“The Cypriot police have already requested information from the Swiss company and are awaiting a response,” Andreou said.
Tracing the Source
Andreou explained the involvement of the Swiss company in the case. He said that the Russian authorities were approached by the Cypriot authorities because the sender’s email address ended with the Russian code ‘ru’. The Russian response indicated that the service provider offering specific internet services was in Switzerland.
Consequently, the police sent a new request to Switzerland and are awaiting a response regarding the sender’s details. Andreou clarified that the message was not necessarily sent from Switzerland just because the internet service provider is based there. The email could have been sent from any country.
International Collaboration
Andreou also mentioned that Europol responded on the first day, stating that similar emails had been sent to other European countries, targeting schools and malls.
On Wednesday, a similar email was sent to schools in Attica, Greece. Greek authorities and the Cypriot police are in contact regarding the incident. The Greek police issued a statement about the mass emails, saying their content is identical to those sent in Cyprus.
“We contacted the Greek authorities. The email address again ends with ‘ru’, but the first part of the address is different,” Andreou said. “The message, however, is identical, and includes, among others, bomb threats.”
The unfolding situation underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing cyber threats. As authorities await further responses from Switzerland, they continue to work closely with their European counterparts to mitigate any potential risks posed by these email threats.
