UK exposes Russian cyber marketing campaign focusing on help for Ukraine

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<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/257b/live/888d3570-364e-11f0-8185-6772e52c97ad.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Getty Images A forklift truck loads aid into a lorry" class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Getty Photographs Cameras monitoring provides going into Ukraine had been hacked into

The UK has uncovered what it says is a "malicious cyber marketing campaign" focusing on a number of organisations, together with these concerned in delivering international help to Ukraine

After a joint investigation with allies together with the US, Germany and France, the UK's Nationwide Cyber Safety Centre (NCSC) stated a Russian army unit had been focusing on each private and non-private organisations since 2022.

These embrace organisations concerned in supplying defence, IT providers and logistics help.

The safety our bodies of 10 Nato nations and Australia stated Russian spies had used a mix of hacking methods to achieve entry to networks.

Among the targets had been internet-connected cameras at Ukrainian borders which monitored support shipments going into the nation.

The report additionally says a tough estimate of 10,000 cameras had been accessed close to "army installations, and rail stations, to trace the motion of supplies into Ukraine.

It provides the "actors additionally used official municipal providers, reminiscent of site visitors cams."

The Russian army unit blamed for the espionage is known as GRU Unit 26165 however goes by a lot of casual names, together with Fancy Bear.

The infamous hacking workforce is thought to have beforehand leaked World Anti-Doping Company knowledge, and performed a key position within the 2016 cyber-attack on the US's Democratic Nationwide Committee, in accordance with safety consultants.

"This malicious marketing campaign by Russia's army intelligence service presents a critical threat to focused organisations, together with these concerned within the supply of help to Ukraine," Paul Chichester, NCSC Director of Operations, stated in an announcement.

"We strongly encourage organisations to familiarise themselves with the risk and mitigation recommendation included within the advisory to assist defend their networks," he added.

Anybody concerned in transferring items into Ukraine "ought to take into account themselves focused" by Russian army intelligence, John Hultquist, chief analyst at Google Risk Intelligence Group, stated.

"Past the curiosity in figuring out help to the battlefield, there may be an curiosity in disrupting that help by way of both bodily or cyber means," he stated.

"These incidents might be precursors to different critical actions."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9a33/live/3d5ad0c0-3654-11f0-920c-1b4eb3cd37cf.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Internet Archive A screenshot of a basic-looking website with a picture of a bear, with a large sign in front saying "This domain has been seized"." class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Web Archive The Fancy Bear web site was shut down by the FBI in 2018

The joint cyber-security advisory stated Fancy Bear had focused organisations linked to essential infrastructure together with ports, airports, air site visitors administration and the defence trade.

These had been in 12 mainland European nations and the US.

The hackers used a mix of methods to achieve entry, the report stated, together with guessing passwords.

One other technique used is known as spearphishing, the place faux emails are focused at particular individuals who have entry to programs.

They're offered with a faux web page the place they enter their login particulars, or inspired to click on a hyperlink which then installs malicious software program.

"The topics of spearphishing emails had been various and ranged from skilled matters to grownup themes," the report stated.

A vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook was additionally exploited to gather credentials "through specifically crafted Outlook calendar appointment invites".

These sorts of methods have been "a staple tactic of this group for over a decade," Rafe Pilling, director of risk intelligence at Sophos Counter Risk Unit, stated.

Digicam entry "would help within the understanding of what items had been being transported, when, in what volumes and help kinetic [weapons] focusing on," he added.

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