Sophisticated hackers infiltrated U.N. offices in Geneva and Vienna last year in an apparent espionage operation
An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked toand seen by the Associated Press, says dozens of servers were compromised, including at the U.N. human rights office, which collects sensitive data and has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments for exposing rights abuses.
The skill level was so high it is possible a state-backed actor might have been behind it, the official said.“It’s as if someone were walking in the sand, and swept up their tracks with a broom afterward,” the official said. “There’s not even a trace of a cleanup.” “This, coupled with the relatively small number of infected machines, is highly suggestive of espionage,” he said after viewing the report. “The attackers have a goal in mind and are deploying malware to machines that they believe serve some purpose for them.”
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the attack “resulted in a compromise of core infrastructure components” and was “determined to be serious.” The earliest detected activity related to the intrusion occurred in July and it was detected in August, he said in response to emailed questions.
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