Would You Know if the Chinese Were Inside Your Org? The Repubs Didn’t!

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft warned the GOP in July 2024, just before the convention, that the Chinese had been roaming around in their emails for months.

If hackers use a light touch – make sure that they don’t flag emails as read when YOU haven’t read them, don’t delete any of your emails. If they forward them, make sure they don’t show up in your sent mail. Don’t add any forwarding rules. Etc., Etc.

The Repubs think that the Chinese were looking for information on how they would view China’s claims to Taiwan if they got back in power.

This is the same time that CISA and the FBI warned that China was inside our critical infrastructure and might launch an attack against us if China decided to invade Taiwan like Russia invaded Ukraine. A cyberattack that turned off the water or the lights would certainly distract us from, at that point, a less important attack on Taiwan.

The Repubs learned about the attack from Microsoft but decided not to clue in the FBI for fear it would be leaked.

Was this attack related to the big Chinese attack on the telecoms which targeted, among other people, the president and vice president? China isn’t saying, of course.

The bigger point is not whether the Chinese were going after politicians last year in the lead up to elections but rather whether hackers could go after you, undetected, until they either found what they wanted or decided to destroy you.

Are you safe? Have you already been compromised? Would you know? Have you hardened your systems? If this keeps you up, please contact us.

Credit: The Register

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