Microsoft and US justice: Strike against Russian hacker group

Microsoft and the US judiciary have succeeded in striking a blow against a Russian hacker group targeting journalists and non-governmental organizations.

In a joint operation with the US Department of Justice, more than 100 websites belonging to the group, which Microsoft runs under the name “Star Blizzard”, were taken offline. The hackers, who have been active since at least 2017, have already been attributed to the Russian secret service by the UK and others.

Rebuilding infrastructure on this scale will cost the hackers time and money, Microsoft emphasized in a blog post. In recent years, “Star Blizzard” has specifically targeted former secret service employees, Russia experts and Russian citizens in the USA. The group uses personalized phishing emails to trick the target into disclosing their login details. In the past, the hackers have quickly regrouped when parts of their infrastructure have been exposed.

dpa