Codebreaker

Spearphishing attacks attempted on government contractors

John Moe Jul 22, 2011

Reuters reports that hackers likely working for foreign governments are actively trying to break into US intelligence networks through spear phishing attacks. Contractors have reported receiving suspicious emails and passing them along to security experts who have found them to be loaded with malware. This is a common hacking practice where if you can infect one user on the network, you have a point of entry to the rest of the network. Frequent MTR guest Anup Ghosh says that the attacks are coming from a foreign country and, since they’re targeting government systems, it’s likely that they are coming from a foreign government. “It appears to be from a persistent adversary that is trying multiple attempts to get in,” he said.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.