Hackers tried to steal email password from former US ambassador to Ukraine

Kremlin-linked hackers have attacked former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer to obtain his personal password.

This was reported by Bloomberg as stated by security researchers from the Access Now and Citizen Lab groups at the University of Toronto, according to Yevropeiska Pravda.

Since February, attackers have been trying to steal the passwords of former government officials and academics in the United States, as well as prominent Russian opposition figures in exile and media organizations. This is evidenced by reports published on Wednesday by Access Now and Citizen Lab.

In one case, hackers tried to trick Steven Pifer, who served as US ambassador to Ukraine from 1998 to 2000, into handing over his password.

The hackers posed as another former US ambassador whom Pifer knew to gain his trust and get him to enter his credentials on a malicious website. It is not reported whether the attackers were able to penetrate Pifer's email account.

The researchers concluded that the attackers were part of a group known as Cold River after analyzing the malicious files that the hackers sent to the victims.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 15/08/2024