Russian intelligence behind hundreds of ‘brute force’ cyber attacks

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Sergei Savostyanov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

US and British agencies have revealed details of “brute force” methods used by Russian intelligence to break into the cloud services of hundreds of government agencies, energy companies and other organisations.

An advisory released by the US National Security Agency (NSA) describes attacks by operatives linked to the GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency, which has been tied to major cyberattacks abroad and efforts to disrupt the 2016 and 2020 US elections.