WASHINGTON/LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hackers working for Western intelligence agencies broke into Russian internet search company Yandex (YNDX.O) in late 2018 deploying a rare type of malware in an attempt to spy on user accounts, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Russian internet group Yandex is pictured at the company’s headquarter in Moscow, Russia October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo
The malware, called Regin, is known to be used by the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the sources said. Intelligence agencies in those countries declined to comment.
Western cyberattacks against Russia are seldom acknowledged or spoken about in public. It could not be determined which of the five countries was behind the attack on Yandex, said sources in Russia and elsewhere, three of whom had direct knowledge of the hack. The breach took place between October and November 2018.
Yandex spokesman Ilya Grabovsky acknowledged the incident in a statement to Reuters, but declined to provide further details. “This particular attack was detected at a very…
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