Security News > 2020 > October > Microsoft Says Iranian Hackers Targeted Attendees of Major Global Policy Conferences
The Iran-linked state-sponsored threat group known as Charming Kitten was observed targeting potential attendees of two major international conferences, Microsoft reports.
Recently observed attacks, Microsoft says, targeted over 100 high-profile individuals, potential attendees of two upcoming global policy conferences, namely the Munich Security Conference and the Think 20 Summit, which is held in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the assaults, the hackers would masquerade as conference organizers, sending spoofed email invitations to individuals potentially interested in attending.
"We've already worked with conference organizers who have warned and will continue to warn their attendees, and we're disclosing what we've seen so that everyone can remain vigilant to this approach being used in connection with other conferences or events," Microsoft explains.
Microsoft, which has published indicators of compromise related to the attacks, underlines that nation-state hackers routinely pursue governmental and non-governmental entities, think tanks, and policy organizations.
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