Chinese 'attack US DoD Smart Cards' with Sykipot Malware
A new strain of the Sykipot malware is being used by Chinese cyber criminals to compromise US Department of Defense (DoD) smart cards, a new report has revealed.
The malware has been designed to take advantage of smart card readers running ActivClient - the client application of ActivIdentity - according to unified security information and event management (SIEM) company AlienVault.
ActivIdentity's smart cards are standardised at the DoD and a number of other US government agencies. The cards are used to identify active duty military staff, selected reserve personnel, civilian employees, and eligible contractor staff. As with previous Sykipot strains, the attackers use an email campaign to get specific targets to click on a link and deposit the Sykipot malware onto their machines. After identifying the computers that have card readers, the attackers install keystroke logging software to steal the PIN number that is used in concert with the smart card.
