Category Archives: Area 1 Security

Report: Russian hackers waged broad phishing campaign against company tied to Trump impeachment

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Hackers linked to the Russian government have been targeting Burisma, a Ukrainian company tied to the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, with a wide-ranging phishing campaign, according to California-based anti-phishing firm Area 1 Security. The campaign, which started in November, came as Congress was holding hearings tied to efforts by Trump to have Ukrainian President Voldymr Zelenskiy investigate Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who served on the board of Burisma. The hackers, which Area 1 says work on behalf of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate, created fake websites designed to look like legitimate Burisma subsidiary websites and login pages. They then sent Burisma employees emails that looked to be authentic internal company emails with links to illegitimate login pages designed to steal login credentials. The subsidiaries that were mimicked include KUB-Gas LLC, Esko-Pivnich, and CUB Energy Inc., according to the Area 1 report. Although it wasn’t […]

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FEC approves anti-spearphishing service for campaigns at low cost

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The Federal Election Commission approved a request Thursday from an anti-spearphishing company, deeming it permissible for the security vendor to provide its services to campaigns and political parties at a discount without violating campaign laws. The FEC expressed trepidation last month over whether it could approve the request from a company, Area 1 Security, to provide low or no cost services to campaigns. A debate stemmed from FEC concerns that a security firm, by offering a markdown on normally expensive services to campaigns, could inappropriately curry favor with lawmakers. This decision is one in a series of approvals the FEC has issued in recent months as it recognizes the serious threat foreign adversaries pose to U.S. elections. “Area 1 has cleared the way for candidates to arm themselves with the best technology available to protect against a repeat of the disastrous cyber-intrusions in prior election cycles,” Dan Petalas, outside counsel for Area 1, told CyberScoop. Area 1 now has […]

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FEC considers whether its legal for campaigns to accept discounted anti-spearphishing services

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In its latest effort to provide cybersecurity companies clarity on whether they can lawfully provide cybersecurity protection to political campaigns for free or at a low-cost, the Federal Election Commission indicated this week it could be close to  greenlighting anti-spearphishing services in a case currently before the commission. That tentative conclusion, not guaranteed until the FEC issues a formal advisory opinion, was reached Thursday during a commissioners’ meeting on a request from anti-spearphishing company Area 1 Security. It marked a shift from how the FEC appeared to be leaning on the issue earlier this week. The FEC’s legal team on Monday issued two draft opinions which both recommended blocking Area 1 from providing anti-spearphishing services at a discounted rate over concerns the lower rates would effectively serve as an in-kind contribution that could curry political favor with politicians in the future. Existing campaign finance law bars corporate contributions to campaigns, an issue that has given campaigns reason to pause on signing up […]

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Cybersecurity firm Area 1 defends pointing finger at China over European cables hack

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Chinese military hackers have used a persistent phishing campaign to steal thousands of European diplomatic cables on sensitive topics ranging from counterterrorism to technology exports, cybersecurity researchers charged Wednesday. The years-long operation targeted over 100 organizations, including the United Nations and the AFL-CIO, according to Area 1, a California-based cybersecurity company. The China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was behind the effort, Area 1 said. The company did not list detailed forensic evidence linking the hack to the PLA, drawing criticism from other researchers as to why an attribution was made. But Area 1 defended its work, telling CyberScoop it had plenty of evidence of China’s role in the breach. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment on the allegations. European Union officials said Wednesday that they were investigating the breach. In an interview with CyberScoop, Area 1 co-founder Blake Darché said the company had […]

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New infosec products of the week​: October 26, 2018

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Data Theorem introduces automated API discovery and security inspection solution Data Theorem introduced the industry’s first automated API discovery and security inspection solution aimed at addressing API security threats introduced by today’s enterp… Continue reading New infosec products of the week​: October 26, 2018→

Area 1 Security releases Pay-Per-Phish, the performance-based cybersecurity solution

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Area 1 Security released Pay-Per-Phish, the performance-based cybersecurity solution. Unlike traditional solutions where customers are forced to pay without guaranteed results, Area 1 Security Pay-Per-Phish flips the traditional cybersecurity model on … Continue reading Area 1 Security releases Pay-Per-Phish, the performance-based cybersecurity solution→

Russia-linked hackers impersonate NATO in attempt to hack Romanian government

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An elite hacking group linked to the Russian government masqueraded as a NATO representative to send a barrage of phishing emails to diplomatic organizations in Europe, including Romania’s Foreign Ministry of Affairs, documents show. CyberScoop obtained a copy of one such phishing email that researchers have attributed to the hacking group, which is known as APT28 or Fancy Bear. The email, which carries a booby-trapped attachment that leverages two recently disclosed Microsoft Word vulnerabilities, shows that the government-backed hacking group effectively spoofed a NATO email address to make the message appear authentic. The hq.nato.intl domain is currently used by NATO employees. The file has already been submitted to Virus Total, a publicly maintained library of computer viruses. Typically files don’t appear on the site unless they have been found in the wild. An analyst from cybersecurity firm FireEye confirmed the phishing email pictured above is in fact authentic and related to APT28 activity. […]

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