Reporters investigating Russian military intelligence have been targeted by highly sophisticated cyber attacks through their encrypted email accounts, with evidence suggesting Moscow was responsible, the email service provider ProtonMail and journalists said on Saturday. The phishing attack, which sought to dupe users into sharing theirProtonMail passwords, was aimed at journalists from the award-winning websiteBellingcat, which helped identify the agents who poisoned former Russian spySergei Skripal in Britain. Bellingcat, a highly regarded Britain-based investigative website, has used open-source technology to break a series of stories, notably concerning Russia, including major revelations in the downing of MH17 flight over eastern Ukraine, which has also been linked to Russia's GRU intelligence service. Geneva-based ProtonMail said in a statement that "the evidence (along withindependent third-party assessments) seem to suggest an attack of Russianorigin."The company's chief executive Andy Yen told the AFP news agency that the operation "was oneof the best-run phishing attacks we have ever seen." Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev, who led the site's work on theSkripal case, said he had no doubt Russia's GRU military intelligence unit wasresponsible and that it marked "a quantum leap" in terms of their technicalsophistication. "It was very convincing," he told AFP, noting that no Bellingcat reportersgave up their passwords. Source and Story continued at TheLocal.ch Would your users fall for convincing phishing attacks? Take the first step now and find out before the bad guys do. Plus, see how you stack up against your peers with phishing Industry Benchmarks. The Phish-prone percentage is usually higher than you expect and is great ammo to get budget. PS: Don't like to click on redirected buttons? Cut & Paste this link in your browser: https://www.knowbe4.com/phishing-security-test-offer
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FAQs
Has Proton Mail been hacked? ›
Geneva-based ProtonMail said in a statement that "the evidence (along with independent third-party assessments) seem to suggest an attack of Russian origin." The company's chief executive Andy Yen told the AFP news agency that the operation "was one of the best-run phishing attacks we have ever seen."
Is Proton Mail Russian? ›Proton Mail (previously written as ProtonMail) is a Swiss end-to-end encrypted email service founded in 2013 headquartered in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland.
Can Proton Mail be trusted? ›Is Proton Mail safer than Gmail? Yes. End-to-end encryption is king when it comes to data protection. All data stored on Proton Mail is encrypted, so neither hackers nor ProtonMail employees can read the contents of your messages.
What is the downside of Proton Mail? ›One downside of ProtonMail is that it does not offer IMAP/SMTP service for free accounts. This means that if I want to use a third-party email client to access my ProtonMail account, I need to upgrade to a paid plan.
What is the controversy with Proton Mail? ›Hobby: free thinking. Habit: asking too many questions. Encrypted email service ProtonMail has been at the centre of a social media storm ever since a police report revealed that the company shared the IP address of one of its users as part of a French investigation that led to the arrest of climate activists.
Where is Proton Mail banned? ›Proton Mail to be banned in India
Section 69A empowers officers to issue orders for content blocking in the interest of national security and public order.
ProtonMail is owned by Proton Technologies AG, which is a Swiss-based company. The company was founded in 2013 by Andy Yen, Jason Stockman, and Wei Sun, all of whom are scientists and engineers with backgrounds in physics, computer science, and electrical engineering.
Why is Proton Mail blocked in Russia? ›Two years ago, Russia blocked Proton's encrypted email service ProtonMail until it agreed to delete accounts that had been used to send fake, anonymous bomb threats.
What is the most hacked email provider? ›Yahoo! Mail has a blemished history regarding data security and privacy. The massive data breach of 2013, where every Yahoo account was affected, is a testament to the lax security measures in place. That's approximately three billion accounts compromised, making it one of the largest breaches in history.
Which is safer Gmail or Proton Mail? ›Still deciding between Proton Mail vs. Gmail? While Gmail scans your emails and lets third parties into your inbox, Proton Mail blocks all trackers and encrypts your messages so only you can read them. We believe you should be the one who chooses what happens to your data.
Why is Proton Mail not accepted? ›
Why sites block Proton Mail. Proton Mail can sometimes be blocked by accident because we're not yet as well known as some of the largest email providers. For example, to reduce spam, some forums only allow registration from well-known email providers like Yahoo, Outlook, Gmail, etc.
Which is more secure Gmail or Proton Mail? ›ProtonMail vs Gmail: Using Different Email Providers
Both providers have a similar interface, but both are very different. Gmail offers a wider variety of features for more personal use, whereas Proton Mail is strictly a secure email service, sending mail with end-end encryption.
Other important factors to consider when researching alternatives to Protonmail include security and customization. We have compiled a list of solutions that reviewers voted as the best overall alternatives and competitors to Protonmail, including Spike, Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, and Zoho Mail.
Can an email from Proton Mail be traced? ›ProtonMail is encrypted, so you won't be able to track an email through ProtonMail, except through advanced methods which we will explain in this article. An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a set of rules that governs the format of data sent via a local network or the internet.
Can Proton get hacked? ›If you're blindly downloading and executing random files you'll get hacked. You need to use strong, unique passwords that can be generated through Proton Pass or any other password generator. Using 2FA will help immensely; however, if your devices are compromised then these things won't help you at all.