Kremlin-linked hackers attacked former US ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer. They were trying to get his personal password.
Points of attention
- The attack on the diplomat's mail was part of a large-scale campaign against former civil servants and activists.
- The attempt to hack the mail of the Trump headquarters indicates a constant threat to cyber security and interference in the political processes of allied countries.
- Depending on the success of the attacks, victims may face the risk of physical harm or imprisonment.
Russian hackers attacked the mail of the US ambassador to Ukraine Pifer
According to NGOs Access Now and Citizen Lab, this attack was part of a larger campaign targeting former Russian civil servants, academics and opposition activists.
A hacker group called Cold River used a fake identity of a former US ambassador to gain Pifer's trust and trick him into entering his details on a fake website. It is currently unknown whether the attackers were able to gain access to his email.
In addition, Cold River attempted to hack Russian investigative media outlet Proekt Media using similar fraud techniques.
Polina Mahold, head of Proekt Media, who currently works in Germany, said that the attackers tried to impersonate her colleague from another independent Russian media outlet.
Experts stress that such attacks can have serious consequences for victims in Russia, including physical danger or even imprisonment. Despite constant improvements in methods and evasion of detection, the activities of hackers remain under the scrutiny of Western governments and cyber security organizations.
Hackers hacked Trump's headquarters email
Former US President Donald Trump's campaign headquarters said earlier that hackers gained access to campaign emails.
Stephen Chung, a representative of the Trump campaign, blamed the hack on foreign sources hostile to the United States.
These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States with the aim of disrupting the 2024 elections and wreaking havoc on our democratic process, Chung said.
He pointed to a recent report released by Microsoft that Iranian operatives have stepped up their efforts to influence and monitor the US presidential election.
Subsequently, a new Microsoft report found that Iranian hackers hacked the account of a top US presidential campaign official in June 2024, coinciding with President Trump's choice of vice presidential nominee.
