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ICT News South Africa

New phishing technique targets governments

"Spear phishing" is the latest technology being used by hackers to try and gain access to classified government information by sending tainted e-mails to government contractors in an effort to gain access to their networks.

Researchers at two different security firms have confirmed that these attacks take place frequently and have grown in number since Lockheed Martin and three of its contractors' sites were infiltrated. The e-mail communications purport to come from the United States' Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA).

Researchers have already identified at least one victim. The malicious software claims to provide a spreadsheet with the names and contact details for 163 high-level officials who attended a recent conference. Once a computer is infected, further malicious software is deployed allowing hackers free access to sensitive information.

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