Microsoft says hacking group targeted anti-doping agencies
NEW YORK _ Microsoft Corp. 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.
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 Sept. 16 and originated with a hacking group called Strontium, which is also known as Fancy Bear/Apt28, the company said in a blog post.
APT 28 has been linked to the Russian government by cybersecurity researchers, including Crowdstrike and FireEye, 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 companies. The methods include spearfishing attacks, exploiting internet-connected devices and using both open-source and custom malware, he said.
Microsoft didn't identify the anti-doping and sport agencies that were targeted in the attacks.
_Bloomberg News
