Russian Intelligence Services have been engaging in a sustained cyber campaign aimed at interfering in UK politics and democratic processes.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, alongside international partners, have identified the threat group responsible as Star Blizzard, linking it to Centre 18 of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
The malicious activities conducted by Star Blizzard include targeting UK parliamentarians through spear-phishing since at least 2015, compromising UK-US trade documents leaked before the 2019 General Election and the 2018 compromise of the Institute for Statecraft, a UK think tank focused on defending democracy against disinformation.
The group has also reportedly targeted universities, journalists, public sector entities, NGOs and other civil society organizations involved in UK democracy. The malicious actors selectively leaked information to undermine trust in politics in the UK and other like-minded states, aligning with Russian confrontation goals.
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