This page redirected some would-be donors to a fake website controlled by hackers, Reuters reports. (credit: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee)
Yet another cyber-attack has targeted a Democratic Party organization—or more specifically, the party's donors. Reuters reports that the FBI is investigating a breach of the systems of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. While the details of the alleged intrusion were not revealed, visitors to the DCCC's site were apparently redirected to a malicious lookalike website mimicking the DCCC contribution page.
Visitors to the DCCC page who clicked a link to donate were directed to a look-alike domain name registered in June instead of the site of a donation processing contractor. The IP address of the fake site "resembled one used by Russian government-linked hackers suspected in the breach of the DNC," Reuters' Joseph Menn, Dustin Volz, and Mark Hosenball reported. Data collected included donor's contact information, e-mail addresses, and possibly credit card information.
It is not clear whether the attackers were after financial information for credit card fraud, or if they were collecting personal data for use in directed attacks against donors. But the attack's timing—or at least the registration of the domain used in the attack—matches up with the recent discovery of a Democratic National Committee breach. The DCCC shares office space with the DNC in Washington.