Microsoft: Russian Hackers Targeted the U.S. Senate

Microsoft has warned that Moscow has increased its cyber attacks ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The company also reported attempts by Russian government-linked hackers to advance cyber attacks against American political groups. According to Reuters, the world's largest software company announced on Monday, August 29, that it had taken control of several domains created by hackers last week. Microsoft stated that six of these websites were modeled after those belonging to the U.S. Senate, two were based on websites of conservative think tanks - the Hudson Institute and the International Republican Institute - and one was simulated from Microsoft's cloud storage service, OneDrive. Microsoft claims that hackers were trying to access personal information, including emails, to gain entry into computer networks and confidential systems. However, the company adds that there is no evidence that the hackers successfully accessed such information. Microsoft has blocked 84 websites in 12 operations over the past two years. The U.S. midterm elections will take place in mid-November this year, determining the fate of 435 House of Representatives seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats. Earlier, Facebook announced that it had identified a campaign aimed at interfering in these elections on its platform. Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, also expressed concern on August 29 in a blog post about cyber efforts against groups linked to the Democratic and Republican parties ahead of the U.S. elections. Microsoft's recent action targeted a group of hackers known as 'Fancy Bear,' which the company claims is linked to the Russian government. However, Russian officials have denied any connection between these hackers and Moscow. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, stated, 'We do not know which hackers they are talking about.' The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated, 'It is regrettable that a major international company, which has long been operating in the Russian market, actively participates in the witch hunt that has engulfed all of Washington and is indeed successful in this endeavor.' Several senior U.S. intelligence and security officials stated on August 11 that Russia continues its 'comprehensive' efforts to sow discord in American society and interfere in the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed in late July Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 elections and indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers for meddling in the 2016 elections. Intelligence officials say this interference benefited the campaign of Donald Trump, the current U.S. president. Moscow has consistently denied allegations of attempting to interfere in U.S. elections.