Microsoft Warns Of Russian Hacking Attempts Targeting U.S. Officials Ahead Of 2024 Election

In a blog post on Tuesday, Microsoft warned that Russian hackers have been reportedly targeting U.S. officials in the government and other industries ahead of the presidential election since October 22. The technology company's threat intelligence team reported that a Russian hacker group known as Midnight Blizzard has been sending a series of "highly targeted spear-phishing emails" to individuals working across various sectors, including government, academia, defense, and non-governmental organizations.

This alarming announcement arrived just one week before the 2024 presidential election, indicating a potential threat to the electoral process. Microsoft believes that the aim of this Russian hacking group is to collect intelligence, heightening concerns as the election approaches.

Newsweek reached out to Microsoft and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for comment via email outside of business hours. Reports indicate that Midnight Blizzard has conducted a campaign where spear-phishing emails were sent to thousands of targets across more than 100 organizations. These emails contained a signed Remote Desktop Protocol configuration file, which aimed to connect to an actor-controlled server.

In an attempt to gain the trust of their targets, the hackers reportedly impersonated Microsoft employees and referenced other cloud providers. Although the targets remain consistent with their usual campaigns, the methods employed by Midnight Blizzard to access devices have evolved.

Microsoft also highlighted that similar activities have been reported by the Government Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine and Amazon. This hacker group has been attributed by both the United States and United Kingdom governments to the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, also known as the SVR.

The Midnight Blizzard group primarily targets governments, diplomatic entities, non-governmental organizations, and IT service providers in the U.S. and Europe, with their operations tracing back to 2018. Their main objective appears to be collecting intelligence through espionage.

Spear phishing is defined as the act of collecting information about an individual to craft personalized emails aimed at tricking the target. The motivations behind spear phishing often include persuading individuals to disclose sensitive information or download malware.

Recently, Microsoft’s alert regarding Russia's hacking attempts comes in the wake of U.S. intelligence accusing Russia of spreading disinformation about Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz. Allegations include spreading false information about Walz's time as a teacher and the circulation of a fake video containing abuse allegations.

U.S. officials characterized the dissemination of disinformation as part of a broader effort by Russia to target Vice President Kamala Harris and potentially incite violent protests post-election. In spreading disinformation, Russia is believed to be attempting to aggravate threats against poll workers and amplify protests, possibly encouraging violent actions.

On October 23, Microsoft noted that their Threat Analysis Center observed "sustained influence efforts" by Russia, Iran, and China aimed at undermining U.S. democratic processes through cyber-influence operations.

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