Microsoft: Russian hackers spy on foreign embassies in Moscow
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing a Microsoft report released on Thursday, according to Ukrinform.
According to Microsoft, the attackers, known as Turla or Secret Blizzard, carried out a “large-scale” cyber espionage campaign, using Russian internet providers to carry out their hacking attacks. The hackers disguised their malware as software from the Russian company Kaspersky Lab. After gaining access to Russian providers, the hackers targeted foreign embassies in Moscow, redirecting their victims' Internet traffic and spreading malware to collect intelligence, the report said. Microsoft declined to name the targets Turla was targeting.
The malware, known as ApolloShadow, breaks computer encryption, turning their internet activity into easily readable data, including web browsing and confidential account information, Microsoft said.
Turla has been known for its activities for over 25 years. The U.S. government has stated that it is a division of the Russian Federal Security Service. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had destroyed an extensive network of computers that Turla used to carry out attacks on users around the world on behalf of the Kremlin.
And after senior U.S. national security officials suggested that the Russian government influenced Kaspersky Lab, sales of the company's products were banned in the U.S.
According to Microsoft, Russian domestic interception systems, such as the System for Operative Investigative Activities (SORM), likely play a key role in conducting these large-scale operations. SORM is the legally established basis for domestic wiretapping and surveillance in Russia, allowing the FSB and other Russian law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct surveillance.
As reported by Ukrinform, the European Union condemns Russia's hybrid campaigns, which are aimed at threatening and undermining the security, stability, and democratic foundations of the bloc, its member states, and partners.
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