The FBI is warning American companies to be on guard for a malicious program previously linked to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hack, according to a report in The Daily Beast.
The FBI sent out an FBI Liaison Alert System (FLASH) warning email on Wednesday that included technical details of the malware, called Sakula. The information can be used by companies to search their systems to see if they have been affected.
Sakula malware is often used by Chinese hacker organizations, the report noted. The FLASH message is also identical to one sent to businesses June 5, the day after the Obama administration revealed OPM had been hacked (Defense Daily, June 5).
Government contractors that work on sensitive and classified projects were some of the recipients of both alerts, the report said.
The alert explained the FBI identified “cyber actors who have compromised and stolen sensitive business information and personally identifiable information,” including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. This data was a “priority target” of the hackers. Although such information is often used for financial fraud, “the FBI is not aware of such activity by these groups,” the message said.
The report also highlighted that the Sakula malware was linked to the breach of patient records at the health insurer Anthem [WLP] revealed in February.