Report: Microsoft says Russia-linked hackers target anti-doping bodies

MOSCOW, Oct 29 (PRIME) -- Microsoft on Monday accused a hacking group, which has been linked to the Russian government, with targeting 16 sport and anti-doping organizations across three continents, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Some of the attacks were successful but the majority were not, according to a report by Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center. The hacks began on September 16 and originated with a hacking group called Strontium, which is also known as Fancy Bear/APT28, the company said in a blog post.

APT28 has been linked to the Russian government by Crowdstrike Holdings Inc. and FireEye Inc., and the U.K. Last year, Microsoft President Brad Smith described Strontium as “a group widely associated with the Russian government” in a statement.

Tom Burt, Microsoft’s vice president of customer security and trust, said the methods used in the most recent attack are similar to previous attacks by Strontium against various targets, including governments, militaries, think tanks and financial firms. The methods include spearfishing attacks, exploiting internet-connected devices and using both open-source and custom malware, he said.

Microsoft did not identify the anti-doping and sport agencies that were targeted in the attacks.

The U.S. charged Russian intelligence officers with hacking anti-doping organizations in 2018.

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