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U.S. Justice Department Disrupts Russian DNS Hijacking Network

Devdiscourse • April 7, 2026

The U.S. Justice Department revealed on Tuesday the successful disruption of a DNS hijacking network operated by a Russian military intelligence unit, following a court-authorized intervention.

According to the department, the network was controlled by Russia's GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff), specifically Military Unit 26165. The GRU utilized routers across the globe to conduct hijacking operations against a variety of targets, spanning military, governmental, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, stressed the severity of the situation, noting that GRU operatives compromised routers worldwide for espionage purposes, necessitating decisive action beyond mere warnings.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

APT28 Exploits Vulnerable Routers for Global DNS Hijacking Campaign Russian cyber group APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, has been exploiting vulnerabilities in TP-Link and MikroTik routers to conduct large-scale DNS hijacking operations. This campaign, which has affected over 18,000 devices across 120 countries, allows attackers to intercept internet traffic and steal sensitive information, including passwords and access tokens. The group has been leveraging known vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2023-50224, to modify DNS settings and redirect users to malicious servers. The U.S. Department of Justice and FBI recently announced the takedown of a significant portion of this infrastructure in an operation dubbed 'Operation Masquerade.' The attacks have primarily targeted military, government, and critical infrastructure sectors. Authorities are urging users to update their devices and follow security best practices to mitigate risks. The NCSC and Microsoft have issued advisories detailing the ongoing threat and the need for immediate action. 93 sources 78

U.S. Justice Department Disrupts Russian DNS Hijacking Network

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Extracted Entities

APT Groups (1)

Countries (1)