PE firms targeted in wave of social-engineering cyberattacks
US private equity firms including Blackstone, Apollo Global Management, KKR, Bain Capital, TPG and Clearlake Capital have been among more than 200 companies targeted in a recent cyberattack campaign, according to a report by Reuters.
A recent cyberattack campaign has targeted over 200 companies, including prominent private equity firms such as Blackstone, Apollo Global Management, KKR, Bain Capital, TPG, and Clearlake Capital. The report, based on data from Google and internet intelligence researchers, reveals that the campaign has primarily focused on stealing employee credentials through targeted social-engineering attacks.
These attacks have highlighted the vulnerability of financial firms, despite their investments in sophisticated cybersecurity systems.
Other targets include Bridgewater Associates, CME Group, Moody’s, Point72 Asset Management, Two Sigma Investments, Citadel, Uber, Zillow, Levi Strauss, Paul Hastings, and Greenberg Traurig. The attackers use phone calls, impersonating corporate IT help desks, to trick employees into surrendering their credentials. They convince targets to update passkeys or multi-factor authentication credentials by directing them to fraudulent websites that mimic corporate authentication or support pages. Once the attackers capture the one-time authentication code, they gain control of the account.
Google's Threat Intelligence Group identified 72 malicious websites linked to the campaign, which operated under several aliases, including Redact, Pink, Falcon, and Helix. The attackers appear to share infrastructure, though their exact relationships and identities remain unclear. The campaign has evolved over time, initially targeting a broad range of businesses before focusing on financial institutions.
Some companies reportedly paid ransoms following successful attacks, but it is unclear which organizations were compromised or paid.
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