The U.K. government has accused Russia's Federal Security Service of carrying out a years-long hacking campaign targeting politicians, civil servants, academics, journalists, and NGOs.
In a speech to the House of Commons, Foreign Office minister Leo Docherty said that, through a hacking group known as Star Blizzard, the FSB had stolen data that was then used to meddle in British politics, including the 2019 election.
"This group, operated by FSB officers, has also selectively leaked and amplified information designed to undermined trust in politics, both in the UK and in like-minded states," he said.
"Our political processes and institutions will continue to endure in spite of these attacks. But they serve to prove that the cyber threat posed by the Russian intelligence services is real and serious."
He added that a senior representative of the Russian government has this morning been summoned to the Foreign Office, and that "appropriate sanctions" have been put in place.
The activity, says the government, includes the targeting of UK parliamentarians from several political parties, via a spear-phishing campaign lasting from at least 2015 until this year. Other victims have included lawyers, staff at think tanks, universities, journalists and others in public life.
Victims have been targeted mainly via their personal email addresses, from providers including Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo and Proton mail. After working to gain the victims' confidence, Star Blizzard attackers then persuade their victims to click on links to malicious domains resembling legitimate organizations.
Once successful and in possession of stolen credentials, the attackers have been able to log in to a target’s email account and access and steal emails and attachments from the victim’s inbox. They have also been able to set up mail-forwarding rules, giving them ongoing visibility of the victim's emails and allowing them to access the victim’s contacts list for further targets.
As a result of this activity, says the government, UK-US trade documents were leaked ahead of the 2019 general election. In 2018, the Institute for Statecraft, a UK think tank whose work included initiatives to defend democracy against disinformation, was compromised, as was the account of its founder Christopher Donnelly from December 2021. In both cases, documents were subsequently leaked.
And the government says that similar activity has also been observed against targets in other NATO countries, along with countries neighboring Russia.
In response to the news, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre has now published new guidance for individuals at higher risk of being targeted, warning them to be on the alert and to implement security measures.
And, together with partners from the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand, it has issued a new cyber security advisory, sharing technical details about how the actors carry out their attacks and how targets can defend against them.
"Russia’s use of cyber operations to further its attempts at political interference is wholly unacceptable and we are resolute in calling out this pattern of activity with our partners," said Paul Chichester, NCSC director of operations.
"Individuals and organizations which play an important role in our democracy must bolster their security and we urge them to follow the recommended steps in our guidance to help prevent compromises."
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December 07, 2023 at 08:19PM
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U.K. Government Accuses Russia Of Election Interference Through Long-Lasting Cyber Attack - Forbes
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