The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), together with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, has exposed Russian intelligence services for carrying out systematic cyberattacks targeting the messaging accounts of officials, military personnel, politicians and activists in Ukraine, Europe and the United States.
“The purpose of these hacks is to gain access to sensitive military, political and economic information exchanged by users, as well as to steal their personal data,” the SBU said.
The attacks employed a variety of methods. For example, the attackers tricked users into revealing account passwords through text messages purportedly sent by a “support service.” The attackers disguised their activities as official bots.
According to the SBU, Russian intelligence services and hackers linked to them are targeting not only organizations, officials and public figures, but also the personal accounts of Ukrainian citizens.
