Russian Hackers Not Easing Up Spying Efforts Against US, Allies - Cybersecurity Firm

The Russian hackers who were allegedly behind 2020 SolarWinds hack hardly eased up their activities this year and managed on numerous occasions to infiltrate US and allied government agencies, the cybersecurity firm Mandiant said in a report on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2021) The Russian hackers who were allegedly behind 2020 SolarWinds hack hardly eased up their activities this year and managed on numerous occasions to infiltrate US and allied government agencies, the cybersecurity firm Mandiant said in a report on Monday.

"In most instances, post compromise activity included theft of data relevant to Russian interests. In some instances, the data theft appears to be obtained primarily to create new routes to access other victim environments. The threat actors continue to innovate and identify new techniques and tradecraft to maintain persistent access to victim environments, hinder detection and confuse attribution efforts," the group wrote.

Mandiant said it still remains committed to tracking Russian hackers and characterized them as some of "the toughest actors we have encountered.

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"These suspected Russian actors practice top-notch operational security and advanced tradecraft. However, they are fallible, and we continue to uncover their activity and learn from their mistakes. Ultimately, they remain an adaptable and evolving threat that must be closely studied by defenders seeking to stay one step ahead," Mandiant said.

US intelligence agencies said in early January that Russia was likely behind the mass cyberattack on US technology companies and government agencies last December. The attackers used the management software SolarWinds to gain access to the intended targets.

Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the cyberattacks.