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Russians Used Malware On Android Devices To Track and Target Ukraine Artillery, Says Report (reuters.com)

schwit1 quotes a report from Reuters: A hacking group linked to the Russian government and high-profile cyber attacks against Democrats during the U.S. presidential election likely used a malware implant on Android devices to track and target Ukrainian artillery units from late 2014 through 2016, according to a new report released Thursday. The malware was able to retrieve communications and some locational data from infected devices, intelligence that would have likely been used to strike against the artillery in support of pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, the report from cyber security firm CrowdStrike found. The hacking group, known commonly as Fancy Bear or APT 28, is believed by U.S. intelligence officials to work primarily on behalf of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency. The implant leveraged a legitimate Android application developed by a Ukrainian artillery officer to process targeting data more quickly, CrowdStrike said. Its deployment "extends Russian cyber capabilities to the front lines of the battlefield," the report said, and "could have facilitated anticipatory awareness of Ukrainian artillery force troop movement, thus providing Russian forces with useful strategic planning information."

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  1. Huh? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If Russia isn't invading and attacking Ukraine, as Putin has been saying for over two years now, why would Russian artillery be targeting Ukrainian artillery in Ukraine?

    I guess when you've lost over 2,000 soldiers during your invasion, and the weekly shipments of cargo 200 keep crossing into your country, it becomes time to drop the facade of the charade and just admit the truth you've been denying.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower