WASHINGTON, D.C. (AZFamily) -- The U.S. Department of Justice has seized 41 website names they say were being used by Russian intelligence to trick Americans into sending personal or confidential information.
All but one of the domains were purchased through NameCheap, a Phoenix-based registrar.
The U.S. Justice Department says it believes the domains were being used to perform "spear phishing," in which fraudsters send emails to trick certain people into giving sensitive information about themselves or a company.
The largely redacted seizure warrant revealed the hackers or their proxies worked for the "Callisto Group," described as a unit within the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB).
"Callisto Group hackers used the seized domains in an ongoing and sophisticated spear-phishing campaign with the goal of gaining unauthorized access to, and steal valuable information from, the computers and email accounts of U.S. government and other victims," the feds said Thursday.
The Department of Justice and Microsoft also announced the restriction of 66 other domains allegedly used by the same group.
Microsoft said the group, nicknamed "Star Blizzard," had targeted over 30 organizations, including journalists, think tanks, and nongovernmental organizations.
"Today's seizure of 41 internet domains reflects the Justice Department's cyber strategy in action - using all tools to disrupt and deter malicious, state-sponsored cyber actors," said U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
"The Russian government ran this scheme to steal Americans' sensitive information, using seemingly legitimate email accounts to trick victims into revealing account credentials. 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," Monaco said.
Federal investigators believe hackers linked to the FSB targeted "U.S.-based companies, former employees of the U.S. Intelligence Community, former and current Department of Defense and Department of State employees, U.S. military defense contractors, and staff at the Department of Energy."
In December 2023, a grand jury in San Francisco indicted two members of the FSB's "Callisto Group," in connection with hacks in the U.S. and allied countries to influence the 2019 election in the United Kingdom. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.K. have since sanctioned both.
Arizona's Family Investigates reported on NameCheap in July when the the U.S. seized domains linked to a Russian bot farm that they allege was spreading misinformation online.
Arizona's Family Investigates has contacted NameCheap for comment on the latest seizures, asking if the company has taken any action to crack down on the sale of domains to foreign governments. Namecheap has not yet responded.
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