Cyberspy group targets South American political figures, journalists

Since 2008, a group of attackers has used off-the-shelf remote access Trojans (RATs) to target political figures, journalists and public figures in several South American countries. 

The group, whose attack campaigns have been investigated by researchers working with Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, has been dubbed Packrat. It appears mainly interested in political opposition groups and influential people from countries like Argentina, Ecuador and Venezuela.

While there is insufficient evidence to link the group to a particular government or intelligence agency, the researchers believe “that the ultimate recipient of the information collected by Packrat is likely one or more governments in the region.”

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