WASHINGTON/LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO: Hackers working for Western intelligence agencies broke into Russian internet search company Yandex 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.
The company, widely known as"Russia's Google" for its array of online services from internet search to email and taxi reservations, says it has more than 108 million monthly users in Russia. It also operates in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Reports by The Intercept, in partnership with a Dutch and Belgian newspaper, tied an earlier version of Regin to a hack at Belgian telecom firm Belgacom in 2013 and said British spy agency Government Communications Headquarters and the NSA were responsible. At the time GCHQ declined to comment and the NSA denied involvement.Security experts say attributing cyberattacks can be difficult because of obfuscation methods used by hackers.