Hackers Target WHO By Posing As Think Tank, Broadcaster (bloomberg.com) 15
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: The messages began arriving in World Health Organization employees' inboxes in early April, seemingly innocuous emails about the coronavirus from news organizations and researchers. But a close examination revealed that they contained malicious links, and some security experts have traced the emails to a hacking group in Iran believed to be sponsored by the government. The hacking effort, which began on April 3, was an attempt to steal passwords and possibly install malware on WHO computers, according to three people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because they aren't authorized to talk to the news media. The incident was one of several suspected state-sponsored hacks targeting WHO officials in recent weeks, the people said.
Two of the messages sent to the WHO, which were reviewed by Bloomberg News, were designed to look like coronavirus newsletters from the British Broadcasting Corporation. A third message was tailored to look like an interview request from the American Foreign Policy Council, a conservative think tank based in Washington. It encouraged recipients to click on what looked to be a shortened Google link, which diverted to a malicious domain. Ohad Zaidenberg, lead cyber intelligence researcher at Clearsky Cyber Security, reviewed the messages for Bloomberg News, and said he believed they were sent by a group of state-sponsored Iranian hackers known as "Charming Kitten," which has been active since 2014 and previously targeted Iranian dissidents, academics, journalists and human rights activists. Flavio Aggio, the WHO's chief information security officer, confirmed the "very clever attacks" but said they'd so far been unsuccessful. "We are dealing with an information war and a cyberwar at the same time," he added.
Two of the messages sent to the WHO, which were reviewed by Bloomberg News, were designed to look like coronavirus newsletters from the British Broadcasting Corporation. A third message was tailored to look like an interview request from the American Foreign Policy Council, a conservative think tank based in Washington. It encouraged recipients to click on what looked to be a shortened Google link, which diverted to a malicious domain. Ohad Zaidenberg, lead cyber intelligence researcher at Clearsky Cyber Security, reviewed the messages for Bloomberg News, and said he believed they were sent by a group of state-sponsored Iranian hackers known as "Charming Kitten," which has been active since 2014 and previously targeted Iranian dissidents, academics, journalists and human rights activists. Flavio Aggio, the WHO's chief information security officer, confirmed the "very clever attacks" but said they'd so far been unsuccessful. "We are dealing with an information war and a cyberwar at the same time," he added.
Of course.. (Score:5, Funny)
Naturally (Score:3, Insightful)
When has anything declaring itself as having authority over the "World" not been seen as automatically a valid target for hacking?
I learned computers at the time of WarGames. And that movie was just about two sides claiming at most authority over -half- of everything.
WHO doesn't need to worry about malware. (Score:2)
It doesn't spread from machine to machine.
And why ..... (Score:1)
So apparently the motive for this net attack is that the WHO made Trump look bad or offended Trump in some way.
Behold the methods and mindsets of the pro-Trump crowd. It fits.
Re: And why ..... (Score:1)
You are quoting Bloomberg statements as if they were facts.
Bloomberg.
"Iranian hackers"
Need I say more? ^^
Are you one of those conspiracy theorists, whose conspiracy theory it is, that everyone who questions the "authority", must be a conspiring conspiracy theorist? ^^
Please learn to separate reality, as in what you experience yourself, from what you are merely told. Aka: Please become an individual.
We don't know fuck-all about any of this, and we never will. For all we know, Iran and the WHO don't even exis
Re:And why ..... (Score:4, Insightful)
More likely someone is pissed that WHO acted as a propaganda arm for the Chinese government and helped spread their lies about the virus.
Re: (Score:2)
The WHO has also endorsed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a remedy for Covid and other diseases. This is despite the total lack of evidence that TCM works and the harm caused to endangered species including rhinos killed for their horns and tigers killed for their penises.
The WHO is making many foolish decisions that are causing harm to its reputation.
The WHO’s decision about TCM could backfire [nature.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And you missed the whole point that TCM is a total sham with zero worth. It won't treat the Wuhan Virus. And it won't diagnose the Wuhan Virus. So the poster is correct in saying that WHO is hurting their reputation and causing harm to endangered specifies.
I'd say it's Trump goons, posing as ... (Score:1)
... an Iranian hacking group, posing as a think tank... with them actually being a corporate think tank behind Trump. :)
And given Bloomberg's reputation, I'm probably more right than whatever Bloomberg currently lobbies for, err, I mean "reports". ;-)
Messages contained malicious links (Score:2)
Insert one of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia
Tough To Be Sympathetic (Score:2)
Every time I start to get the slightest bit of sympathy toward Iran and its plight ... they do something like this, once again revealing them as the bunch of unmitigated bastards they really are.
Iran (Score:1)
So what? That doesn't prove that Iran had anything to do with it. Whoever doesn't like Iran could be behind it.