The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI have issued a joint advisory warning of persistent cyberattacks targeting US think-tanks, with the goal of stealing intellectual property. The two agencies stated that they have witnessed an uptick in cyberattacks intentionally targeting think tanks, utilizing phishing and VPN exploit attack methods. The cyberattacks aim to perform espionage or deliver malware to the organization’s network as well as acquire user credentials.
The cyberattacks focus primarily on organizations related to national security policy and international affairs, according to the alert. The warning advises think tanks to act with a heightened state of awareness in terms of cybersecurity efforts and risk evaluation. Other observed activities targeting think tanks include credential dumping, keylogging, collecting audio, downloading files, and stealing emails with the goal of exfiltrating valuable data.
Read More: Think-Tanks Under Attack by Foreign APTs, CISA Warns
