In the frantic race of late 2020 to deliver a vaccine against a virus that had already reshaped daily life across the planet, a quieter contest was reportedly unfolding in the inboxes of those doing the work. According to two anonymous sources cited by Reuters, people posing as recruiters approached staff at AstraZeneca, some of them scientists on COVID-19 research, with job offers that carried hidden malicious code, an approach believed to have originated with North Korean hackers. The effort is thought to have failed, the company has stayed silent, and Pyongyang dismisses the account as fabr
North Korean Hackers Suspected of Targeting AstraZeneca in Vaccine Cyberattack
The approach, according to Reuters, came as a job offer.
Mark
Why does a fake job offer matter in a story about vaccines?
Mimi
Because it shows how the approach worked. Reuters says the hackers contacted AstraZeneca staff, including COVID-19 researchers, through LinkedIn and WhatsApp, then sent documents posing as job descriptions that carried malicious code.
Mark
And did it work?
Mimi
The two sources say the hackers are not thought to have succeeded.
Luke
Notice the hedge there: 'not thought to have.' That's an assessment, not a confirmed finding, and we don't know how it was reached.
Mark
Who is actually saying North Korea did this?
Mimi
Two unnamed sources speaking to Reuters. The attribution is described as suspected.
Luke
Right. No named official, and AstraZeneca declined to comment. The Russian email addresses are a detail, but the report doesn't explain what that implies.
Mark
What have the institutions said?
Mimi
Oxford said it is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre. The NCSC said it is committed to protecting vaccine research, but neither addressed the allegation directly.
Luke
Those are general statements. They neither confirm nor deny this incident.
Mark
And North Korea's response?
Mimi
A staff member at its Geneva mission called the report fake news and said it was fabricated. That was a phone call, not a formal statement.
Luke
And the South Korean lawmaker's claim is separate. Ha Tae-Keung confirmed attempts on South Korean firms but gave no dates or company names, so it can't be tied to the AstraZeneca case.
Il Polso
- Fake job offers arriving on LinkedIn and WhatsApp are reportedly carrying malware toward scientists racing to finish a COVID-19 vaccine.
- The story rests on two anonymous sources, with AstraZeneca declining comment and no official confirmation on record.
- Pyongyang's UN mission has brushed the report off as 'fake news,' while South Korea says it blocked its own vaccine-maker hacking attempts.
- Sources say the intrusion likely went nowhere, but the open questions about how many were targeted and who detected it keep the matter unsettled, awaiting word from Oxford or the UK NCSC.
In the frantic race of late 2020 to deliver a vaccine against a virus that had already reshaped daily life across the planet, a quieter contest was reportedly unfolding in the inboxes of those doing the work. According to two anonymous sources cited by Reuters, people posing as recruiters approached staff at AstraZeneca, some of them scientists on COVID-19 research, with job offers that carried hidden malicious code, an approach believed to have originated with North Korean hackers. The effort is thought to have failed, the company has stayed silent, and Pyongyang dismisses the account as fabrication, leaving the truth suspended between an unconfirmed report and an unanswered denial.
The attack, as Reuters describes it, began with something ordinary: a job offer. Staff at AstraZeneca, the British drugmaker working with the University of Oxford to bring a coronavirus vaccine to market, were contacted by people pretending to be recruiters on LinkedIn and WhatsApp. Some of those reached were working directly on COVID-19 research, the very work the world was waiting on.
The documents that followed looked like job descriptions. Inside them, according to the sources Reuters cited, was malicious code meant to give the senders access to the recipient's computer. Some messages reportedly came from Russian email addresses. Investigators suspect North Korean hackers, and the campaign is said to have run over recent weeks.
The sources believe the hackers did not succeed, but the reporting does not say how many people were approached or how the attempt was caught. AstraZeneca declined to comment. Oxford said it is working closely with the UK's National Cyber Security Centre to protect its research, and the NCSC said only that it is committed to defending vaccine work against threats.
Pyongyang's UN mission in Geneva gave no formal reply, though a staff member told CNN the report was fabricated. The allegation also landed alongside a claim from South Korean lawmaker Ha Tae-Keung that his country had stopped North Korean attempts to hack its own vaccine-developing pharmaceutical firms. For now, the account stands on two anonymous voices, a flat denial, and a silence from the company at its center.
The approach, according to Reuters, came as a job offer. Staff at AstraZeneca, the British drugmaker racing to bring a coronavirus vaccine to market, were contacted by people posing as recruiters on LinkedIn and WhatsApp. Some of those targeted were working directly on COVID-19 research.
Reuters reported the story on Friday, citing two unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter. CNN relayed the account the same day. The sources said the suspected culprits are North Korean hackers, and that the campaign took place in recent weeks.
The mechanics, as described, were simple. After making contact, the supposed recruiters sent documents presented as job descriptions. In reality, the files were laced with malicious code intended to give the hackers access to the recipient's computer. Reuters reported that some of the messages used Russian email addresses.
The sources told Reuters the hackers are not thought to have succeeded. The reporting does not say how many employees were approached, which ones, or how the attempt was detected.
AstraZeneca declined to comment. The University of Oxford, which is developing the vaccine in partnership with the company, told CNN it is working closely with the UK's National Cyber Security Centre. A university spokesperson said the aim is to ensure its COVID-19 research has the best possible cyber security and protection. The NCSC did not address the allegation directly. It told CNN on Friday that it is committed to protecting the health sector and crucial vaccine research and development against threats.
North Korea rejected the report. CNN contacted the country's mission to the United Nations in Geneva for an official comment and had received no formal response by publication. In a telephone call with CNN, a member of the mission's staff called the Reuters report "fake news" and said the information had been fabricated.
The allegation arrived alongside a separate claim from South Korea. Lawmaker Ha Tae-Keung said on Friday that his country had thwarted North Korean attempts to hack its own pharmaceutical companies developing coronavirus vaccines at home. He confirmed the attempts but did not say when they occurred or which companies were targeted.
What remains to be seen is whether AstraZeneca, Oxford or the NCSC will confirm anything on the record, and whether other vaccine developers report similar fake-recruiter approaches. For now, the account rests on two anonymous sources, a flat denial from Pyongyang's mission, and no public statement from the targeted company.
Citazioni salienti
Oxford University is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure our COVID-19 research has the best possible cyber security and protection.— University of Oxford spokesperson, to CNN
The Reuters report is 'fake news' and the information has been 'fabricated.'— Staff member at North Korea's UN mission in Geneva, by phone to CNN
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su CNN Philippines ↗
Science & Space