Cyberattack targets US think tank Heritage Foundation

Conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation said on Friday that it experienced a cyberattack earlier this week. A person with knowledge of the cyberattack told TechCrunch that efforts at Heritage were underway to remediate the cyberattack, but said that it wasn’t immediately known what, if any, data was taken. Politico, which first reported the news of the cyberattack on Friday, cited a Heritage official as saying the organization “shut down its network to prevent any further malicious activity while we investigate the incident.”The news outlet quoted the Heritage official as saying that the cyberattack likely came from nation-state hackers, but did not provide evidence of the claim. Founded in 1973, Heritage is based in Washington DC, and supports and lobbies on conservative issues. Heritage was hit by a cyberattack in 2015 in which hackers stole internal emails and the personal information of its donors.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, reported on Friday that they had been the target of a cyberattack earlier this week.

A source familiar with the situation informed TechCrunch that Heritage was actively working to resolve the issue, though it is currently unknown if any data was compromised.

According to a report by Politico, an official from Heritage confirmed the cyberattack and stated that their network had been shut down as a precautionary measure while they investigate the incident.

The official also suggested that the cyberattack may have been carried out by state-sponsored hackers, though no proof was provided to support this claim.

Noah Weinrich, a spokesperson for Heritage, declined to comment when contacted via email on Thursday and did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment on Friday.

The Heritage Foundation, established in 1973 and headquartered in Washington DC, advocates for conservative policies and engages in political lobbying. It holds significant influence in Republican politics. As a result, think tanks like Heritage are frequent targets for foreign cyberattacks and espionage efforts due to their connections with government and policymaking, often employing former officials from the U.S. administration.

This is not the first time Heritage has been the victim of a cyberattack. In 2015, hackers stole internal emails and personal information from the organization’s donors.

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Zara Khan

Zara Khan is a seasoned investigative journalist with a focus on social justice issues. She has won numerous awards for her groundbreaking reporting and has a reputation for fearlessly exposing wrongdoing.

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