Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Targeted by Cyberattack

The attack targeted trade secrets stemming from the nonprofit lab's research activity

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts, says it's been the victim of a cyberattack that targeted trade secrets stemming from the nonprofit lab's research activity.

The Cape Cod Times reports that WHOI officials told staff about the attack in a memo last week after it shut down its network and asked employees to reset their passwords.

WHOI's vice president for legal affairs says an investigation showed the nonprofit's systems were accessed as far back as February 2013. The hack went unnoticed until June, when the institution's tech team detected unusual activity from its network to outbound servers.

The federal government and law enforcement have been working with WHOI to investigate. Initial indications are that an "advanced persistent threat" group based in China is responsible. There is no evidence classified information was compromised.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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