Over the past year, Russian hackers have conducted a large-scale cyberespionage campaign against scientists, defense companies and government officials in the US and NATO countries. Their goal was likely to obtain classified information on nuclear developments and intelligence data useful to Russia in the war against Ukraine, CNN reports, citing an intelligence report, Focus writes.
According to assessments of Western intelligence services, the hackers were trying to gain access to information on the development of nuclear weapons. Among the targets were specialists in the field of nuclear fusion, employees of defense companies and representatives of the authorities.
The suspects sent their victims e-mails. Once opened, they could steal the user's correspondence for the past three months and gain access to the contacts of the entire organization.
British Security Minister Dan Jarvis said that the Russians were first testing new methods of cyberattacks on Ukrainian users, and then applying them to NATO countries.
Western law enforcement agencies are already taking retaliatory measures. A 30-year-old Russian man, believed to be one of the participants in the hacking group, was detained in Thailand. He was extradited to the United States, where he will stand trial in Boston.
FBI representative Brett Litterman notes that after a period of relative calm, the activity of Russian hackers against the United States has again increased significantly.
FOCUS recalls that earlier information appeared according to which for 18 months the Kremlin coordinated large-scale espionage activity against nuclear facilities in over ten European countries, launching drones from ships of its “shadow fleet” in the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Also unreported is that over 500 British military personnel serving at secret sites have accidentally revealed information about themselves and the location of their bases through the popular fitness app Strava.
Furthermore, a French military officer has inadvertently revealed the exact location of an aircraft carrier strike group led by the aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" in the Mediterranean Sea through the fitness app.