Governments like to know what the leaders of rival countries are really thinking. To answer these questions, they may turn to their spy agencies, tasking them with obtaining information on policy and strategy that other countries would rather keep secret.
A recent report linking the Russian government to hackers who compromised the network of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) underscores the possibility that governments may use their cyber capabilities to covertly obtain this type of intelligence, and that sensitive nation state information does not solely reside on government networks. The presence of such information can make many organizations targets, regardless of political affiliation.
While it is good to know about a breach soon after it happens, it's better to know that attackers are targeting you before they strike. SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit™ (CTU) researchers work to track just this type of activity when it's in its planning stage, and in the case of the DNC targeting, we were able to do just that.Through observing the threat actors prepare their operation, CTU researchers notified the appropriate authorities as soon the activity was identified.
While other reports touch on this activity Threat Group 4127 Targets Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign tells the story of who was targeted and reveals the extent of the cyber-espionage operation.
