Russia’s intelligence service has carried out a yearslong cyberattack campaign against high-profile politicians, civil servants, journalists and others, according to the British government, as part of what it called “unsuccessful attempts to interfere in U.K. political processes.”
The announcement, part of a joint action with allies including the United States, which announced related indictments and sanctions on Thursday, was intended to sound the alarm that Russia intends to sow chaos and doubt ahead of elections in the United States and Britain.
Britain’s Foreign Office, in a statement released on Thursday, said a group “almost certainly” linked to the Russian intelligence service engaged in sustained cyberespionage operations, including attacks that targeted lawmakers from across the political spectrum using spear-phishing attacks, or malicious emails, beginning as early as 2015.
The group also “selectively leaked and amplified the release of information in line with Russian confrontation goals, including to undermine trust in politics in the U.K. and like-minded states,” the Foreign Office said, drawing from an investigation from Britain’s intelligence agency.
Some of that information, including hacked trade documents between Britain and the United States, was leaked ahead of Britain’s general election in 2019.
Universities, journalists, the public sector, charities and other organizations were also targeted, according to the government, which warned that while Russia’s attempts to undermine democracy have been so far unsuccessful, they are likely to continue.
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