Maria Butina, the Russian national accused of spying on the U.S., took a keen interest in a D.C.-based organization’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities soon after the group was hit by phishing attempts and its website was defaced with fake Islamic State messaging, according to a consultant who helped the group recover from the incident. The organization, which works on civil rights issues, was targeted through a “social engineering campaign,” said Jon Steinman, the co-founder of HillCyber, a cybersecurity consultancy.

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