A hacking group from Russia used a malware implant on Android devices to track and target Ukrainian artillery units from late 2014 through 2016, according to a new report released Thursday.
The malware was able to retrieve communications and some locational data from infected devices, intelligence that would have likely been used to strike against the artillery in support of pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, the report from cyber security firm CrowdStrike found.
Russia has repeatedly denied hacking accusations, and Trump has also dismissed the assessments of the U.S. intelligence community.
The malware used to track Ukrainian artillery units was a variant of the kind used to hack into the Democratic National Committee, CrowdStrike co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch said in an interview. That link, in addition to the high rate of losses sustained by the type of Ukrainian artillery units targeted by hackers, creates high confidence that Fancy Bear was responsible for the implant, he said.
The malware was able to retrieve communications and some location data from infected devices as approximately 9,000 artillery personnel used the application.
“The collection of such tactical artillery force positioning intelligence by Fancy Bear further supports CrowdStrike’s previous assessments that the group is likely affiliated with the Russian military intelligence (GRU), and works closely with Russian military forces operating in Eastern Ukraine and its border regions in Russia,” the report from cyber security firm said.
The key points of this report from CrowdStrike are:
The security company said that the malware was likely associated with Russian military intelligence, working in concert with Russian and pro-Russian forces in east Ukraine.
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