Researchers uncover maze of hidden backdoors in European embassy and ministry systems
A series of covert backdoor implants were secretly installed over the last year on dozens of computers used by embassies and foreign ministries across Southeast Europe and former Soviet states, according to new research published by cybersecurity firm ESET. The malicious software was sent to victims through targeted phishing emails and allowed for a skilled group of hackers to remotely spy on foreign government officials and collect intelligence. Some cybersecurity firms believe the hacking group exposed by ESET, known as Turla, is connected to Russian intelligence services. The backdoor used by Turla has been codenamed Gazer. ESET describes Gazer as a stealthy and complex hacking tool that is difficult to detect. The implant receives encrypted code from an external server, which can execute commands either directly through the infected machine or via another computer on a shared network. In addition, ESET found evidence that Turla leverages a virtual file system […]
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