The site “Hire Military Heroes” has been outed as a malware scam. What job-hunting veterans thought was another job site ended up being a scam.
The site prompted users to download an app containing malicious malware that accessed personal information stored on computers and devices, said cybersecurity researchers at Cisco Talos.
“The attacker retrieves information such as the date, time and drivers. The attacker can then see information on the system, the patch level, the number of processors, the network configuration, the hardware, firmware versions, the domain controller, the name of the admin, the list of the account, etc.,” Cisco Talos said in a blog post in September about the malware.
“This is a significant amount of information relating to a machine and makes the attacker well-prepared to carry out additional attacks,” Cisco Talos added.
The fake site shared a similar URL to the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation founded site “Hiring Our Heroes”.
According to the security intelligence and research group, an actor called Tortoiseshell was responsible for the attack — the same actor Symantec identified being behind attempts targeting Saudi Arabian IT providers.
Cisco Talos and Symantec have not pointed a finger at Iran, but experts claim it’s likely Iran is the culprit. Multiple media reports also suggest the malign actor has ties to Iran.
The National Guard and Stars and Stripes issued warnings about the site last week.
“They’re targeting active servicemembers looking for jobs with the promise of offering assistance for civilian employment once their service ends,” the memo said, according to Stars and Stripes. “The hackers are hoping one of their targets would use a DOD system to download and run the malware.”
The National Guard Bureau deferred to the Pentagon for comment when contacted by the Military Times. The Pentagon did not provide comment on the memo or whether DOD systems were compromised.
“As a matter of policy and for operational security, we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence, or planning,” Elissa Smith, Department of Defense spokeswoman, said in a statement to the Military Times.
When job hunting online, be extra careful not to give away too much information. Be aware of websites you are submitting your personal information to and make sure you are applying on a secured site.
The site has since been shut down. If you or someone you know has been a victim of Hire Military Heroes, please report the incident.
Source: Military Times