Russian Hackers Target Conservative Think Tanks In Latest Cyberattack (Joshua Johnson, The 1A)

In July, 12 members of the Russian intelligence agency, formerly known as GRU, were indicted for continual efforts to hack Democrats’ emails and computer networks during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Now, the agency is preying on a new group: conservative think tanks.

According to a report set for release on Tuesday, Microsoft has identified and seized websites that posed as affiliates of two think tanks — the Hudson Institute and the International Republican Institute. Users who accessed these fraudulent sites forfeited their passwords and other data to the Russian intelligence agency.

Why these think tanks, in particular? According to The Washington Post, they “have broken with President Trump and are seeking continued sanctions against Moscow, exposing oligarchs or pressing for human rights.”

Microsoft also detected websites masquerading as the U.S. Senate, which they were able to shut down in their infancy.

Daniel Twining, president of the International Republican Institute, told The Washington Post:

This apparent spear-phishing attempt against the International Republican Institute and other organizations is consistent with the campaign of meddling that the Kremlin has waged against organizations that support democracy and human rights. It is clearly designed to sow confusion, conflict and fear among those who criticize Mr. Putin’s authoritarian regime.

Are these spoofed websites gone for good? And with midterms just three months away, how can tech companies like Microsoft help prevent the next attack?
Interview:
https://the1a.org/shows/2018-08-22/russian-hackers-target-conservative-think-tanks-in-latest-attack