Russian Hackers Accused of Post-Election Attacks

Cybersecurity experts say Russian hackers targeted several U.S. think tanks within hours of Donald Trump winning the presidential election, according to Reuters. The attacks, believed to be conducted by a Kremlin-linked group involved in the earlier attacks on the Democratic Party, appeared to be an attempt to gain information on the new administration. One of the targets was the Council for Foreign Relations, a think tank devoted to international affairs. The hacking campaign involved spear-phishing—malware-tainted emails sent out to carefully selected individuals in a bid to infect the computers of specific organizations. One of the emails sent out appeared to come from Harvard University, with the subject line “Why American elections are flawed,” according to cybersecurity firm Volexity. The Russian embassy in Washington has yet to comment on the allegations, though Moscow has previously denied any involvement in hacking attacks on U.S. institutions.