US says it disrupted Russian network that sought to hack government employees

WASHINGTON

The US Justice Department announced Thursday that it seized 41 internet domains it said were part of a sophisticated Russian intelligence plot to commit computer fraud and abuse.

The seizures came as the agency joined a concurrent civil action from Microsoft to restrict 66 internet domains also used by the "Callisto Group," a unit within Center 18 of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the Justice Department said in a statement.

"The Russian government ran this scheme to steal Americans’ sensitive information, using seemingly legitimate email accounts to trick victims into revealing account credentials," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

"With the continued support of our private sector partners, we will be relentless in exposing Russian actors and cybercriminals and depriving them of the tools of their illicit trade," she added.

The Justice Department alleged that the Callisto Group ran a sophisticated spear-phishing campaign aimed at illicitly acquiring access to computers and email accounts owned by government employees and others.

The Callisto Group has also gone by the name "Star Blizzard," according to the department.