US Justice Department disrupts Russian GRU-linked global DNS hijacking network

WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department said on Tuesday it carried out a court-authorized disruption of a DNS hijacking network ‌controlled ⁠by ⁠a Russian military intelligence unit.

The network was operated by Russia's Main ​Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) Military Unit ​26165, the department ⁠said in ‌a statement.

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It ​added ​that the GRU ⁠used routers to facilitate hijacking operations ​against worldwide targets, including ​individuals in military, government and critical infrastructure sectors.

"GRU actors compromised routers in the US and ‌around the world, hijacking them to conduct ​espionage. ​Given the ⁠scale of this threat, sounding the alarm wasn't enough," said ​Brett Leatherman, the assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division.