The US Justice Department seized two Internet domains that had been used in spear-phishing attacks that mimicked email communications from the US Agency for International Development.
The Justice Department said that it seized two command-and-control (C2) and malware distribution domains on May 28 after winning a court order to do so.
The seizure was done in hopes of identifying groups that had been victimised and stopping future victimisation.
Microsoft said last week that Nobelium, a Russian group which had been behind the SolarWinds cyber attack identified last year, had turned to targeting government agencies, think tanks, consultants, and non-governmental organisations.
“Friday’s court-authorised domain seizures reflect the FBI Washington Field Office’s continued commitment to cyber victims in our region,” said assistant director in charge Steven D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington field office.