https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/5/18251836/chinese-hackers-us-servers-universities-military-secrets-cybersecurity
By Shannon Liao
The Verge
March 5, 2019
Chinese hackers singled out over two dozen universities in the US and around
the world in an apparent bid to gain access to maritime military research,
according to a report by cybersecurity firm iDefense, which was obtained by The
Wall Street Journal.
The hackers sent universities spear phishing emails doctored to appear as if
they came from partner universities, but they unleashed a malicious payload
when opened. Universities are traditionally seen as easier targets than US
military contractors, and they can still contain useful military research.
Twenty-seven universities were found to have been targeted by the group,
including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of
Washington, and other colleges in Canada and Southeast Asia. iDefense didn’t
name every school in the report due to ongoing investigations, but anonymous
sources told the WSJ that Penn State and Duke University were two of the other
targets.
The cyberattacks focused on universities that either studied underwater tech or
had faculty with relevant backgrounds. Many had ties to the US’s largest
oceanographic research institute, which itself has ties to the US Navy’s
warfare center. iDefense said it was highly confident the institute had been
breached.
[...]
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