North Korean hackers are suspected of targeting the British coronavirus vaccine producer Astrazeneca, posing as recruiters with fake job offers to lure staff and access computers.
Staff at the pharmaceutical giant were approached with fake job offers on Linkedin and WhatsApp. The hackers went on to send them documents that were laced with malicious code designed to gain access to their computers.
Whitehall sources said the unsuccessful attack was “unsurprising” and that the modus operandi of the hackers had already been anticipated by national security agencies ready to thwart such attempts.
The National Cyber Security Centre [NCSC] said it was working alongside allies to protect “crucial vaccine research” and critical assets including the health sector.
The hacking attempts targeted a “broad set of people” including
