The voter registries were accessed over a period of more than a year, the agency said.

The group allegedly has targeted the defense, local government, oil and natural gas and telecommunications sectors in places including North America.

Attacks on health care were among the most predominant.

The targets of Fancy Bear's brute force attacks include both government agencies and the private sector, the advisory alleges.

Legislation proposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government would levy fines of as much as 100,000 pounds per day.

Another soccer team suffered a ransomware attack that cost the club hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"APT groups and cybercriminals are likely to continue to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic over the coming weeks and months,” the agencies said.

The decision comes after more than 18 months of lobbying from U.S. officials including President Trump.