Microsoft Cautions Against More Russia Led Ransomware Attack

Microsoft Corp MSFT warned against more ransomware attacks inside and outside of Ukraine from a notorious hacking group Iridium with links to Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU.
The hacking group, best known as Sandworm, is responsible for the attacks on Ukraine’s electric power grid and government agencies, the 2018 Winter Olympics, and businesses worldwide.
Sandworm appears to be preparing for a renewed destructive campaign, Microsoft cautioned in a report Bloomberg cites.
Russian hackers came under scanner for allegedly bombarding Ukrainian institutions with “wiper malware” and DDoS attacks that began before President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade more than a year ago.
The report cautioned the Sandworm-led ransomware attack on Polish and Ukrainian transport services in October as “a trial balloon” for further attacks and a potential precursor to other Russian hacks beyond Ukrainian soil.
In a February Ukraine cyber threat report, Alphabet Inc’s GOOG GOOGL Google said that cyber campaigns by Sandworm, which it calls FrozenBarents, “seem designed to advance Russian strategic objectives and respond to changes in Russian intelligence requirements throughout the conflict.”
The group, active since 2009, targeted a Turkish drone manufacturer whose systems Ukraine tapped in the early weeks of the war and has targeted sensitive information like Ukrainian military communications and troop movements, according to Google.
Price Action: MSFT shares traded lower by 0.21% at $264.88 on the last check Thursday.

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