Microsoft foils fresh Russian cyber-attack

RUSSIAN hackers have targeted the US Senate and conservative political think tanks in a cyber-attack ahead of midterm congressional elections in November, according to Microsoft.

The world’s biggest computer software company said it had uncovered a scheme by Fancy Bear, a group tied to the Russian government, to create half a dozen fake websites.

Those included replicas of three US Senate sites, and two conservative organisations – the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the Hudson Institute. A sixth was made to look like a site featuring Microsoft’s own online products.

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, said: “This activity is most fundamentally focused on disrupting democracy.” There was “no doubt in our minds who is responsible,” he added.