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Microsoft Russian Hackers Report Overview:
- Who: Microsoft has issued a report warning about the increase in activity by state-backed Russian hackers.
- Why: The new cybersecurity report from Microsoft says hackers linked to Moscow are increasingly targeting US government organizations, and are having more success in their cyberattacks.
- Where: The hacks are linked to the Russian government and occur online.
Russian state-backed hackers are getting better at breaching their United States targets, with the hackers now successful almost one-third of the time, a new report from Microsoft says.
The new cybersecurity report, released Oct. 7, says Moscow-linked hacking groups are now increasingly targeting United States government organizations, with government targets accounting for more than half of their targets for the year through June 2021, compared to just 3 percent the previous year.
The Russian hackers are also getting better at breaching their targets, the report says.
The success rate of Russian cyberattacks on US targets has gone from 21 percent to 32 percent — almost a third — year over year, Microsoft says.
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden announced a nationwide push to reduce cyberattacks on the country. In a statement issued Oct. 1, the president said he was “marshaling a whole-of-nation effort to confront cyber threats.”
“I am committed to strengthening our cybersecurity by hardening our critical infrastructure against cyberattacks, disrupting ransomware networks, working to establish and promote clear rules of the road for all nations in cyberspace, and making clear we will hold accountable those that threaten our security,” he said. In May, he issued an executive order to modernize the country’s defenses online.
Microsoft’s report also notes that 58 percent of government-linked hacking attempts originated in Russia, followed by 23 percent from North Korea, 11 percent from Iran and 8 percent from China.
In 2020, a Russian espionage operation breached at least nine US federal agencies in 2020 by exploiting software made by SolarWinds, a Texas-based firm, CNN reports.
Russia and China are “still comfortable leaning into nation-state attacks,” Microsoft’s Digital Security Unit Head Cristin Goodwin said. “And we’re seeing that increase.”
Russian Hackers Accused of Colonial Pipeline Cyberattack
The news comes as the Colonial Pipeline Company faces a lawsuit lodged by consumers and businesses after it had to shut down its pipeline due to a Russian cyberattack in May.
The plaintiffs allege the attack occurred because of relaxed cybersecurity procedures put in place by the company, and argued it was unfair they were forced to pay more for gas because of it.
The attack was perpetrated by a Russian hacking group which demanded a ransom after it allegedly gained access into Colonial’s systems. Colonial ultimately paid the hackers $4.4 million to end the assault, in addition to shutting down the pipeline serving vast swaths of the Eastern Seaboard for a time.
What do you think about the increase of Russian hacker cyberattacks on United States targets? Let us know in the comments.
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