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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Dan Milmo Global technology editor

Russian hackers target WhatsApp accounts of ministers worldwide

A fingertip about to press a WhatsApp icon on a smartphone's touchscreen
Microsoft, in a blogpost on the ploy, did not state whether data had been stolen successfully from targeted WhatsApp accounts. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Russian state-linked hackers have targeted the WhatsApp accounts of government ministers and officials around the world with emails inviting them to join user groups on the messaging app.

The WhatsApp tactic marks a new approach by a hacking unit called Star Blizzard. Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has linked Star Blizzard to Russia’s domestic spy agency, the FSB, and has accused it of seeking to “undermine trust in politics in the UK and likeminded states”.

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