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• Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) warned against more ransomware attacks inside and outside of Ukraine from a notorious hacking group Iridium with links to Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU.

• The hacking group, best known as Sandworm, is responsible for the attacks on Ukraine’s electric power grid and government agencies, the 2018 Winter Olympics, and businesses worldwide.

• Sandworm appears to be preparing for a renewed destructive campaign, Microsoft cautioned in a report Bloomberg cites.

• Russian hackers came under scanner for allegedly bombarding Ukrainian institutions with “wiper malware” and DDoS attacks that began before President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade more than a year ago.

• The report cautioned the Sandworm-led ransomware attack on Polish and Ukrainian transport services in October as “a trial balloon” for further attacks and a potential precursor to other Russian hacks beyond Ukrainian soil.

• In a February Ukraine cyber threat report, Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google said that cyber campaigns by Sandworm, which it calls FrozenBarents, “seem designed to advance Russian strategic objectives and respond to changes in Russian intelligence requirements throughout the conflict.”

• The group, active since 2009, targeted a Turkish drone manufacturer whose systems Ukraine tapped in the early weeks of the war and has targeted sensitive information like Ukrainian military communications and troop movements, according to Google.

• Price Action: MSFT shares traded lower by 0.21% at $264.88 on the last check Thursday.

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This article Microsoft Cautions Against More Russia Led Ransomware Attack originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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