Russia's FSB reports 'unprecedented' hacking campaign aimed at government agencies

A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration

Foreign hackers compromised Russian federal agencies in a digital espionage campaign that Russian officials described as unprecedented in scope and sophistication.

The little-noticed report – published this month by Russia's FSB security service and Rostelecom-Solar, the cybersecurity arm of telecoms company Rostelecom (RTKM.MM) – provides an unusually detailed look at a purportedly state-backed cyber spying operation aimed at the Russian state.

But while the investigation describes the 2020 hacking campaign as "unprecedented", it provides no indication of who might be behind it.

"Assessing the attackers' level of preparedness and qualification ... we are inclined to refer to this group as cyber mercenaries, pursuing the interests of a foreign state," the report said, citing the hackers' "thorough preparation" and their intimate knowledge of Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab's software.

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