U.S. Intelligence: Russian Hackers Targeted Defense Contractors

For not less than the previous two years, Russian hackers have been focusing on Pentagon-linked protection contractors and subcontractors to steal delicate information and data, U.S. authorities revealed this week.

In a joint alert revealed Wednesday, members of the U.S. intelligence neighborhood warned that that they had noticed “regular targeting” of U.S.-cleared protection contractors of various sizes, going all the way in which again to January of 2020. These hackers have employed fundamental however efficient hacking methods, officers stated, together with spear phishing, brute power assaults, credential harvesting, and different typical intrusion methods.

The purpose of the hacking campaigns seems to have been to accumulate “sensitive information” about issues like U.S. weapons and missile growth, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, car and plane design, and command, management, and communications methods, officers stated.

As such, it’s yet one more unlucky cyber-espionage episode to hit the U.S.—an prevalence that appears to changing into increasingly regular. Several state-sponsored hacking controversies emerged final 12 months, together with the expansive SolarWinds hacking marketing campaign, which can also be stated to have concerned Russian state-sponsored actors.

From Wednesday’s alert, it sound like some pretty vital data received swept up within the current hacking marketing campaign:

“The acquired information provides significant insight into U.S. weapons platforms development and deployment timelines, vehicle specifications, and plans for communications infrastructure and information technology. By acquiring proprietary internal documents and email communications, adversaries may be able to adjust their own military plans and priorities, hasten technological development efforts, inform foreign policymakers of U.S. intentions, and target potential sources for recruitment.”

Roughly translated, it sounds just like the hackers received some fairly helpful intel. It’s odd timing to launch this data, for the reason that U.S. and Russia are at the moment locked in an unsightly diplomatic battle over the political way forward for Ukraine. Amidst the squabble, the U.S. has warned that Russia could launch cyberattacks—not solely at Ukraine, but in addition at U.S.-based entities.