Cyberattack strikes US think tank Heritage Foundation

The well-known conservative think group The Heritage Foundation said on Friday that it had been the target of a cyberattack earlier in the week.

Heritage is addressing the cyber problem, according to a person familiar with the situation, though it’s yet unclear what, if any, data was compromised.

Politico reports, which first revealed the cyberattack, state that Heritage acted quickly, shutting down its network to stop additional malicious activity and initiating an investigation into what happened.

Although there has been conjecture over the potential involvement of nation-state hackers, actual proof has not been offered to bolster this assertion.

A representative for Heritage named Noah Weinrich declined to comment when reached on Thursday, and by Friday, he had not replied to questions from TechCrunch.

Founded in 1973 and with its main office in Washington, DC, Heritage is a powerful force in Republican politics and conservative circles, having lobbied and advocated for conservative causes.

This most recent cyber incident highlights the ongoing threat that think tanks face. Because of their close ties to the government and policymaking spheres—many of which include former U.S. administration officials among their ranks—they are frequently targeted by foreign cyber actors and nation-state espionage activities.

Notably, Heritage was the victim of a hack in 2015 that resulted in the theft of donor personal information and internal communications, underscoring the continuous difficulties that cyber attacks represent to politically significant organizations.