(Bloomberg) -- Hackers launched a wave of sophisticated attacks on Wall Street firms in recent days, targeting information systems at major money managers, according to people familiar with the matter.
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The attackers attempted to breach information systems at some of the world's biggest hedge funds including Two Sigma Investments, Citadel and Point72 Asset Management, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing non-public information. Several private equity firms were also targeted as part of the assault, the people said.
The attack featured voice phishing, or vishing, in which cyber criminals use technology to mimic voices in phone calls or messages to trick employees into revealing sensitive information or granting access, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing non-public information.
Two Sigma, which oversees $75 billion of assets, said it thwarted the attempt to access sensitive data.
"Our security team responded quickly to an attempted vishing campaign targeting Two Sigma and other investment managers, and we have no indication of any impact to our data or our systems," a spokesperson Two Sigma said in a statement. "We continue to monitor the situation closely."
Spokespeople for Point72 and Citadel declined to comment on whether hackers have breached their systems.
Cybersecurity breaches on Wall Street have surged over the past year, as artificial intelligence tools help bad actors launch attacks relatively cheaply and broadly, said Vinod Paul, president of Align Managed Services, which specializes in helping hedge funds with cybersecurity and information technology.
"Before they could attack 50 entities in a targeted attack, now they can do 1,000," Paul said. "Hackers can also listen into a phone call and mimic the voice, tone and phrasings of the speakers to create fake calls.
In June, a cybersecurity unit at Google published a blog post noting a wave of attacks this year against law firms and other professional services companies. Those attacks also involved vishing techniques and even in some cases featured individuals entering corporate offices posing at IT workers, the post said.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which oversees broker dealers and securities professionals, has been in touch with member firms about recent attempted breaches, according to a separate person with knowledge of the matter.