Hackers believed to be associated with the Chinese Government, who for years targeted US experts on Asian geopolitical matters, turned their attention to Iraqi experts.
According to CrowdStrike, the group is one of the most sophisticated of the 30 it tracks in China and its operations are better hidden than many attributed to military and other government units, according to Reuters.
CrowdStrike co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch said he has “great confidence” the hackers are affiliated with the government, though he declined to provide many details on the matter. On June 18th, the same day that rebel group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS, attacked an oil refinery, the group suddenly began going after the digital documents of U.S. think tank employees who were experts in that region, Alperovitch said.