Will Pharma Have an Ashley Madison Moment? (III) : Morpho Attack

Symantec  uncovers  Morpho  cyber espionage operation

A cyber espionage group has targeted high-profile technology, internet, commodities and pharmaceutical companies in the US, Europe and Canada, reports Symantec

Symantec has uncovered a new corporate espionage group, dubbed  Morpho, that has compromised a string of major corporations in recent years.

Targets include high-profile technology, internet, commodities and pharmaceutical companies located or headquartered in the US, Europe and Canada.

Technology firms targeted by the Morpho espionage group for confidential information and intellectual property (IP) include Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Apple

According to a Symantec report, Morpho is an independent group that operates at a much higher level than the average cyber crime gang.

Investigators said the group’s members are technically proficient, well-resourced and financially motivated.

Indications are that the group is selling information to the highest bidder or may be operating as hackers for hire. The report said stolen information could also be used for insider trading purposes. 

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Investigators also found that Morpho has attacked three major European pharmaceutical firms. In the first attack, the attackers gained a foothold by first attacking a small European office belonging to one firm and using this infection to then move on to its US office and European headquarters.

This attack method appears to have been used in the two subsequent attacks on big pharma firms, with Morpho compromising computers in a number of regional offices before being discovered. (Más)

This group operates at a much higher level than the average cybercrime gang. It is not interested in stealing credit card details or customer databases and is instead focused on high level corporate information. Morpho may be selling this information to the highest bidder or may be operating as hackers for hire. Stolen information could also be used for insider trading purposes. (Ver)

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