Microsoft Corp. on Thursday (7/4) said it had successfully thwarted a hacking attempt by Russian spies. The technology company said the Russians were trying to break into targets in Ukraine, the European Union and the United States.
Through a post on its official blog, Microsoft said the hack was carried out by a group called "Strontium". In its action, the group used seven internet domains.
Furthermore, Microsoft explained that Strontium seeks to spy on government agencies and think tanks in the European Union and the United States, as well as Ukrainian institutions such as media organizations.
For now, Microsoft cannot name the bodies targeted by the hackers. The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on Microsoft's findings.
Reporting from Reuters, Strontium is the nickname Microsoft gave to a group often called Fancy Bear or APT28. This group is a hacking squad linked to Russia's military intelligence agency.
The findings come days after the US announced that it had been quietly eradicating malware from the world's internet network in recent weeks. The malware being targeted was made in Russia.
According to the New York Times, the malware targeted allowed Russia to conduct a "botnet", a network of private computers controlled by the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency.
The US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday (6/4) said the malware could be used for everything from surveillance to destructive attacks.
Until now the relevant officials in the US still believe that the Russian cyberattack has been specifically directed at Ukraine. One of the malware that was prepared was even said to be able to paralyze Ukrainian government offices and attack a European satellite system called Viasat.
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