North Korean Hackers Target COVID Vaccine Manufacturer

With talk of a COVID vaccine just around the corner, it comes as no surprise that hackers have been targeting healthcare organizations, but as reported on November 27 by Reuters, a North Korean gang of hackers tried to take over computer systems at AstraZeneca, one of the top drugmakers promising the cure.

What Happened?

AstraZeneca is working hard to get its COVID-19 vaccine out the door. Last week hackers sent a number of employees at AstraZeneca emails posing as recruiters from LinkedIn or WhatsApp offering them fake jobs. The documents attached included malware designed to take over the victim's computer. However, sources say no attempt was successful. 

Although AstraZeneca and other official sources declined to comment, a non-official spokesperson did say that study of the code used and the techniques are reminiscent of a North Korean cybersecurity gang. The same cyber terrorists have targeted government agencies, media outlets, and other healthcare organizations. 

The pandemic has caused quite a bit of activity, with cybercriminals targeting organizations aimed at helping resolve it. Although the criminals’ goals are not clear, experts suspect that any stolen information could be sold on the dark web or foreign governments. Another theory is they want to disrupt the distribution of the vaccine. 

These attacks occurred only days after South Korea's vaccine research authorities were targeted by hackers. The South Korean government assures the U.S. they thwarted these attempts. However, speculation is running wild that the conflict goes even deeper, pitting South Korea against its rival North Korea. In the attack by North Korean hackers on South Korean drugmakers, the hackers tried to steal logins of employees and researchers who worked within these companies. In this campaign, they posed as World Health Organization representatives hoping that employees would take the bait. Due to strong email security and protocols, all the hacking attempts were thwarted successfully. According to the Yonhap news agency, "the North Korean state is thought to employ as many as 6,000 hackers, with most of them based in Russia, China, and other countries."

Microsoft detected three other similar incidents this month where hackers posed as management or job posters. All three were aimed at COVID-19 research and vaccine treatments. Microsoft identified one of the hacker groups to be from Russia and the other two from North Korea.

Politico was quoted as saying, "The method appears to be similar to 2017's WannaCry ransomware attack that infected companies worldwide. Among a plethora of targets, the malware managed to seize confidential U.K. patient data with the National Health Service and threatened to make the database inaccessible unless a sum in cryptocurrency was paid."

Reuters chimed in with, "Reuters has previously reported that hackers from Iran, China, and Russia have attempted to break into leading drugmakers and even the World Health Organisation this year. Tehran, Beijing and Moscow have all denied the allegations."

They also mentioned that some of the email accounts used in the attack were spoofed to look like they came from Russia to throw investigators off track. 

U.S. cyber-criminal justice organizations have cited North Korea as some of the most prolific and damaging hackers earning the highest in terms of monetary loss and destruction. 

How Healthcare Organizations and Vaccine Drug Companies Can Secure Their Operations

Threat experts have been warning healthcare companies across the globe to be on the lookout for scams, phishing attempts, and malware. These companies are on high alert right now with so much riding on the COVID-19 vaccine. Some of the tips for healthcare workers and drug companies from cybersecurity experts include:

• Always be on the watch for phishing emails. Never trust they came from a legitimate source until you verify the information and check the recipient's email address.
• Never click a link in an email or download any attachments.
• Hire professional threat assessors to look for vulnerabilities within your systems and secure them with firewalls, encryption, and limited access protocols.
• Restrict access to sensitive or confidential information to only those with a direct need.
• Thoroughly vet any third-party resources or vendors connected to your online systems. 
• Keep all devices updated with the latest security patches and antivirus/anti-malware software.
• Train all staff members on cybersecurity best practices and force password resets often.
• Require long, strong passwords for every login (a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. 

With hackers routinely attacking the world's most essential organizations right now doing the work that will help us all, companies must be diligent and prioritize cyber safety to bring us through this challenging time successfully.