Two Russians were indicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco this week on charges of attempting to hack into the computers of targets in multiple NATO countries—including the United States and the United Kingdom—in an apparent attempt to interfere with Britain’s 2019 elections.
The “sophisticated” phishing campaign targeted U.K. political figures, journalists, think-tank staff, and others, in addition to several current and former employees within the U.S. intelligence community, prosecutors alleged in the indictment.
In one instance, the Russian government’s Federal Security Service accessed accounts related to a U.K. think tank, leaking information to the U.K. and Russian presses ahead of the 2019 elections.
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“Through this malign influence activity directed at the democratic processes of the United Kingdom, Russia again demonstrates its commitment to using weaponized campaigns of cyber espionage against such networks in unacceptable ways,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said in a statement.
Ruslan Aleksandrovich Peretyatko, an officer with Russia’s Federal Security Service, and Andrey Stanislavovich Korinets conspired to target and hack ex-employees of the Department of Defense, Department of State, and other intelligence departments across the U.S., prosecutors alleged.
The pair “were able to gain unauthorized access to their accounts and take valuable intelligence from their victims’ accounts at will, including intelligence related to United States defense, foreign affairs, and security policies, as well as nuclear energy related technology, research, and development,” the indictment read.
Both men were believed to be in Russia at the time of the charges being handed down, according to the indictment.
