FSB

The FSB (Federal Security Service, Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti) is Russia's primary domestic intelligence and counter-intelligence agency and a Major actor in offensive cyber operations against foreign targets. In March 2026, a joint advisory from NCSC and the Dutch AIVD attributed to FSB's Star Blizzard unit a sustained campaign targeting the Signal, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger accounts of politicians, journalists, academics and lawyers using malicious QR codes and contact impersonation.

The FSB traces its lineage to the Soviet KGB. It has primary responsibility for domestic security, counter-terrorism and counter-espionage inside Russia, but also maintains substantial foreign intelligence operations under the SVR's formal REMIT. Its cyber arm, historically tracked as Gamaredon and more recently as Star Blizzard and Turla, is assessed by Western agencies to run systematic targeting of civil-society organisations, opposition figures and foreign government officials. Star Blizzard specifically specialises in long-running, relationship-based social-engineering campaigns rather than technical exploits.

The March 2026 NCSC-AIVD advisory places FSB Star Blizzard alongside China's APT31 and Iran's IRGC in a shared technique set, suggesting a convergence in the civil-society targeting playbook across three state adversaries. The recommended mitigations, passkeys and device audits, differ from typical enterprise security guidance and are aimed at high-risk individuals rather than corporate IT teams.