Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has identified the activities of a Chinese-backed hacking group known as APT31.
The hackers target multiple Gmail users affiliated with the United States government via a phishing attack.
The attack was however unsuccessful since all the emails contains phishing link which was marked as spam and filtered by Gmail.
“All organizations, including government entities, are targets of nation-states and cybercriminals. By phishing humans, they look at it as the more accessible way into the systems and infrastructure. Gaining access through a government employee’s email address is easy to bypass the technology and gain entry into the government infrastructure and systems,” James McQuiggan, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4 said.
McQuiggan advises businesses to remain vigilant in their IT protocols. Employees also need to be notified of the potential threats faced by companies.
Organizations are also advised to invest in the best antivirus software available. This will therefore help create an additional layer of security.