Think tanks and NGOs have received a flurry of spear phishing attempts linked to a Russian espionage group since the election.
“Think tanks being targeted by APT29/COZY today, spearphishing emails claiming to be about election,” tweeted Adam Segal, Lipman chair of emerging technologies at the Council on Foreign Relations, on Wednesday.
APT 29, also called Cozy Bear, is a hacking group believed to be connected with the Russian government. It recently made headlines as part of the hack on the Democratic National Committee.
The attempts echoed attacks over the past couple of years similarly targeting think tanks, universities and NGOs, including Transparency International, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Eurasia Group and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Morning Consult notes that hackers "sent malware-laden emails" to people who worked at the Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, Atlantic Council, and other organizations.
Think Tank Watch should note that during the presidential election season hackers were very active in trying to gather intelligence from think tanks and think tankers.
