(This story has been republished to change an incorrect image)
By Pritam Biswas, Raphael Satter and Anirban Sen
NEW YORK, Aug 5 (Reuters) – Hackers attempted a series of sophisticated cyberattacks on major Wall Street financial services firms and money managers in recent days, targeting their information systems, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Some of the world’s largest hedge funds along with several private equity firms were targeted, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the matter is confidential.
The hacking attempts featured phone calls in which cybercriminals tried to trick employees into granting them access or handing over other sensitive information, the sources said.
Point72 Asset Management told investors on Wednesday that it had faced an attack from hackers, one of the sources said, adding that the firm indicated that no customer information was stolen during the attack.
The hackers also attempted to breach information systems at other hedge funds, including Two Sigma Investments and Citadel, the sources said. Two Sigma did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Citadel and Point72 declined to comment.
Attempts by hackers to break into major financial institutions are routine, according to cybersecurity experts.
The phone-call tactic is still widely used by hackers because of its effectiveness. It has been used successfully by cybercriminal groups such as “Scattered Spider,” a loose-knit group of young hackers that has racked up a large roster of corporate victims over the past few years.
Global companies are battling a surge in AI-powered cyberattacks and ransomware that disrupt operations and steal data. The White House announced a working group earlier this year, uniting AI developers and critical infrastructure operators to share threat intelligence and coordinate cyber defenses.
(Reporting by Pritam Biswas and Raphael Satter, additional reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and David Gaffen)
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