Some attackers are harder to kick out and keep out.
From a notification letter to a state attorney general’s office by external counsel for Eurasia Group, a consulting firm in New York:
In December 2020, Eurasia Group discovered suspicious activity within its email system. Eurasia Group immediately launched an investigation, with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, and determined that they had been the target of a sophisticated threat actor. Due to the sophistication of this intrusion, Eurasia Group continued to experience additional intrusions believed to have been perpetrated by the same group. Throughout that time, Eurasia Group worked with its third-party computer forensic specialists to identify the potential access and to secure its systems. Eurasia Group also undertook a lengthy and labor-intensive process to identify sensitive information that may have been contained within the email accounts impacted by this event, and to identify the individuals whose information may have been impacted. Eurasia Group then worked to identify contact information for the impacted individuals.
On or about June 24, 2022, Eurasia Group again discovered suspicious activity within its email system. Eurasia Group immediately launched an investigation into this activity, with the assistance of third-party computer forensic specialists, to determine the nature and scope of the event. This investigation determined that what is believed to be the same unauthorized threat actor group may have had additional access to certain Eurasia Group employee email accounts. Eurasia Group took steps to identify the potential access resulting from this repeat attack and to secure its systems.
Notifications to individuals were sent out on January 20 to 35 residents of Maryland.
The total number of individuals affected was not disclosed in the letter. Nor was it clear whether those affected were all employees or if client data was involved.
It would be nice to know what this “sophisticated threat actor” did that evaded detection. And it would be nice to know if their motivation was financial or otherwise. Eurasia Group does consulting work on global political risks. Could the attacker have been looking for politically sensitive information? Was any client data of a sensitive nature accessible or acquired?
DataBreaches sent an email inquiry to Eurasia Group asking whether any sensitive client data could have been accessed. DataBreaches also asked what Eurasia suspects about the attacker’s motivation and if there has been any new attack since January of this year.
No reply has yet been received.