Universities Targeted by Chinese Hackers for Military Technology

On Tuesday, March 4, The Wall Street Journal reported that more than two dozen universities in the U.S., Canada and Southeast Asia had been targeted by Chinese hackers.  In its report, The Wall Street Journal cited research from iDefense, a cybersecurity intelligence unit of Accenture Security, indicating that the University of Hawaii, the University of Washington and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were among the universities hacked.  iDefense attributed the hacking activity to a known Chinese hacking group, Mudcarp.

According to iDefense, Mudcarp’s target was submarine technology being developed for military use, with any technology that involves the delivery or launching of a payload from a submerged submarine or undersea autonomous vehicle being of high interest.  Mudcarp’s tactics include sending malicious Microsoft Office documents exploiting known vulnerabilities and targeting users with enhanced privileges.