Microsoft will expand its cyber security service AccountGuard to 12 new markets in Europe including France, Germany, and Spain to safeguard from such hacking attacks.

On Wednesday, Microsoft Corp disclosed it had chanced upon hacking activity that targets democratic institutions, non-profit organizations and think tanks in Europe and plans on offering a cyber security service to address the security issues to several countries.

In a blog post, Microsoft said, the cyber attacks occurred between September 2018 to December 2018, and targeted the European offices of The Aspen Institute, employees of the German Council on Foreign Relations and The German Marshall Fund.

In a statement Microsoft said, the hacking activity, which was found through its Threat Intelligence Center and Digital Crimes Unit, targeted 104 employee accounts in France, Belgium, Germany, Serbia, Poland, and Romania.

Many of the attacks had originated from a hacking group called Strontium, which has been previously associated with the Russian government, said Microsoft.

Strontium, one of the world’s oldest cyber espionage groups, goes by multiple aliases including APT 28, Sofancy, Fancy Bear, and Pawn Storm, According to CrowdStrike, a security firm, it is very likely that the group is associated with Russia’s military intelligence agency – GRU.

In order to safeguard clients from such hacking activities, Microsoft said it will expand its cyber security service AccountGuard to 12 new markets in Europe including France, Germany, and Spain.

This service will also be available in Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovakia.

German officials are trying to boost cyber security ahead of a critical European Parliament election in May.