Iranian and Russian hackers are " ruthlessly
" attacking
British journalists and politicians to obtain sensitive data, the National Center for Cyber Security in the United Kingdom warned Thursday.
The NCSC, attached to the British intelligence and security agency, sounded the alarm by highlighting in a press release the increase in hacking attempts targeting certain individuals and organizations.
steal information
"
These campaigns by actors based in Russia and Iran continue to ruthlessly pursue their targets in order to steal online credentials and compromise potentially sensitive systems
," said Paul Chichester, an NCSC official.
The statement mentions in particular the groups SEABORGIUM based in Russia and TA453 based in Iran, linked to the Revolutionary Guards.
While the two campaigns are separate, the two groups “
use similar techniques and have similar targets
”.
“
The attacks do not target the general public but specific sectors, including academia, defence, government organizations, NGOs, think tanks, as well as politicians, journalists and activists
”, underlines the NCSC .
“Spear phishing”
“
Spear phishing
” consists of recovering confidential data by pretending to be a legitimate actor.
If the method is as old as the Internet, the NCSC details how the mentioned groups use meticulous methods of approach.
"
They create fake profiles on social networks to pose as respected experts, they used alleged invitations to conferences or events
," he said.
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According to the NCSC, the Iranian group TA453 used the Zoom platform, organizing fake calls, and then sending a malicious location to the platform's chat bar.
“
We urge organizations and individuals to remain alert to potential approaches and to follow advice to protect themselves online
,” warned Paul Chichester.
The NCSC recommends the use of complex passwords, multiple authentication and to be vigilant on the emails received to reduce the risk of hacking.
