US and Microsoft dismantle Russian hacking group targeting Western institutions

A collaborative effort between the US government and Microsoft has dismantled a hacking group linked to Russian intelligence. The group, known as Star Blizzard to cybersecurity experts, has targeted nonprofit organizations, think tanks, journalists and former military and intelligence officials from the United States and its allies.

Star Blizzard used “spear phishing” tactics, sending emails that appeared to come from a trusted source to gain access to victims’ internal systems. Once inside, they could steal sensitive information and disrupt operations. Microsoft identified the group’s infrastructure and alerted the US Department of Justice, which led to the seizure of more than 100 domain names used by the hackers.

This joint action highlights the ongoing threat of cyberattacks from state-backed actors. While the true extent of Star Blizzard’s success remains unknown, the outage highlights the importance of collaboration between public and private entities to defend critical infrastructure.