UK uncovers attempted Russian cyber interference and sanctions two individuals

The government has announced that the UK and its allies have uncovered of attempts by the Russian Intelligence Services to target high-profile individuals and entities through cyber operations.

The UK government believes that this was done with the intent to use information obtained to interfere in UK politics and democratic processes.

A unit withing the FSB, Centre 18, has been identified as being accountable for a range of cyber espionage operations targeting the UK. It is believed that activity was carried out by Star Blizzard; a group that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assesses is almost certainly subordinate to FSB Centre 18.   

It was reported that while some attacks resulted in leaked documents, attempts to interfere with UK politics and democracy have not been successful.

Star Blizzard has been identified as targeting, including spear-phishing, parliamentarians from multiple political parties, from at least 2015 through to this year.

It also believed the group is behind the hack of UK-US trade documents that were leaked ahead of the 2019 General Election and the 2018 hack of the Institute for Statecraft, a UK thinktank whose work included initiatives to defend democracy against disinformation, and the more recent hack of its founder Christopher Donnelly, whose account was compromised from December 2021; in both instances documents were subsequently leaked.

Following an investigation by the National Crime Agency, the UK has sanctioned two members of Star Blizzard for their involvement in the preparation of spear-phishing campaigns and associated activity that resulted in unauthorised access and exfiltration of sensitive data, which was intended to undermine UK organisations and  the UK government.

The sanctions are being delivered together with the US. The two individuals sanctioned are Ruslan Aleksandrovich PERETYATKO, who is a Russian FSB intelligence officer and a member of Star Blizzard and Andrey Stanislavovich KORINETS, AKA Alexey DOGUZHIEV, who is a member of Star Blizzard.

Foreign secretary David Cameron said: "Russia’s attempts to interfere in UK politics are completely unacceptable and seek to threaten our democratic processes.

"Despite their repeated efforts, they have failed.

"In sanctioning those responsible and summoning the Russian Ambassador today, we are exposing their malign attempts at influence and shining a light on yet another example of how Russia chooses to operate on the global stage.  

"We will continue to work together with our allies to expose Russian covert cyber activity and hold Russia to account for its actions.

Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said: "As I warned earlier this year, state actors, and the ‘Wagner-style’ sub-state hackers they use to do their dirty work, will continue to target our public institutions and our democratic processes.

"We will continue to call this activity out, to raise our defences, and to take action against the perpetrators.  

"Online is the new frontline. We are taking a whole of society approach to ensuring we have the robust systems and cutting-edge skills needed to resist these attempts to undermine our democracy."