Microsoft Corp.’s announcement that it has taken down a number of fake domains set up by the same cyber-espionage group that allegedly hacked the Democratic National Committee in 2016 shows Russia’s interest in U.S. politics isn’t ebbing. More importantly, it highlights that the methods these malicious actors have been using since well before the 2016 U.S. election can still be effective.
In a blog post signed by Microsoft President Brad Smith, the company said it had obtained a court order to take over six internet domains set up by “a group widely associated with the Russian government and known as Strontium, or alternatively Fancy Bear or APT28.” That’s the group described in a recent indictment obtained by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as consisting of Russian military intelligence officers.
