Russian hackers attempted to hack Ukrainian accounts

A hacker group known as Star Blizzard, likely linked to the FSB, attempted to hack the accounts of employees of organisations and institutions actively supporting Ukraine. The incident occurred at the end of last year, according to reports by Microsoft.

The group's targets, the company notes, are traditionally linked to the Russian government and diplomatic circles, both former and current officials, as well as defence policy and research activities aimed at studying Russia and aiding Ukraine.

To achieve their objectives, the hackers used phishing attacks. They sent messages purportedly from US officials, inviting recipients to join a WhatsApp group "to receive information on aid to Ukraine". These messages were designed to prompt victims to disclose personal data and access to their messaging history.

Microsoft previously worked with US authorities to shut down approximately 180 web resources associated with Star Blizzard's activities. However, the hackers quickly changed domains and continued their attacks, indicating the group's high resilience to such measures.

Microsoft did not specify whether the Russian hackers managed to gain access to the accounts, but the fact of their continued activity highlights the difficulty of combating such threats.