Russian hackers used bogus U.S. State Department logos to trick embassies around the world to open spearphishing emails that contained malware-laden Microsoft Excel files, according to a new report.
Researchers at Check Point Research said the cyberattack began with an email attachment purported to be a Top Secret U.S. document that used TeamViewer, a popular remote access tool, to take over the infected computer.
Victims include officials within government finance authorities and representatives in several embassies in countries including Nepal, Italy, Liberia, Bermuda and Lebanon.
The researcher said they couldn’t conclude the campaign had geopolitical motives, however, “the observed victims list reveals a particular interest of the attacker in the public financial sector, as they all appear to be handpicked government officials from several revenue authorities.”