---
title: Hackers Phish for Political Secrets in Midterm Campaigns
description: Hackers Phish for Political Secrets in Midterm Campaigns
---

<https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/in-the-news>

# [Hackers Phish for Political Secrets in Midterm Campaigns](https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/in-the-news/hackers-phish-for-political-secrets-in-midterm-campaigns)

 Written by [Mitnick Security](https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/in-the-news/author/mitnick-security) | Sep 5, 2018 12:00:00 AM

The best hacks are always the simplest.

When Russian hackers successfully attacked Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman John Podesta in 2016, they didn’t need to use crippling ransomware or a complex zero-day exploit. Instead, the Russians used one of the oldest tricks in the hacker playbook: Email phishing.

“Phishing is all about the bad guy — the attacker — sending a malicious email to a victim and fooling that person either to click on a link within the email or open up an attachment,” said hacker and computer security consultant **Kevin Mitnick **in an interview with CBS News. “When the victim [clicks the link or opens the attachment] their computer ends up being compromised and malware is installed so the bad guy has full control.”

*To view the full article and to get updates on other current news items please visit the [source.](https://www.wcbi.com/hackers-phish-for-political-secrets-in-midterm-campaigns/)*

Source: [WCBI](http://https://www.wcbi.com/hackers-phish-for-political-secrets-in-midterm-campaigns/)

[View full post](https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/in-the-news/hackers-phish-for-political-secrets-in-midterm-campaigns)

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