(CNN) Parts of an operation linked to Russian military intelligence targeting the US Senate and conservative think tanks were thwarted last week, Microsoft announced early Tuesday. The company said it executed a court order giving it control of six websites created by a group known as Fancy Bear. The group was behind the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee and directed by the GRU, the Russian military intelligence unit, according to cybersecurity firms. The websites could have been used to launch cyberattacks on candidates and other political groups ahead of November's elections, the company said. Among the websites a judge in the Eastern District of Virginia granted Microsoft control of were those with domain names designed to resemble sites used by congressional staff.

Source: CNN August 21, 2018 04:03 UTC