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Further allegations surrounding last November’s vaccine hacking have surfaced.
Infamous North Korean hacking group – the Lazarus Group – was behind a series of cyber attacks last November that targeted vaccine-related industries, anonymous sources have revealed.
The attacks took place on the Microsoft network, with Microsoft confirming that many of the targets were located in the US, South Korea, India, Canada and France – and were involved in vaccine research.
Another piece in this jigsaw puzzle was revealed in February, with sources further alleging that two crucial targets – Pfizer and BioNTech – were specifically targeted especially to allow North Korea to re-produce pirated copies of the COVID vaccine in order for the rogue state to distribute them across the black market. The pirated vaccines – it is thought – will allow the rogue state to raise foreign capital.
Microsoft understands that the culprit of the attack was the Pyongyang-based Lazarus Group, which was propelled to fame following the 2014 Sony cyber attack and data breach. It is believed that the Lazarus Group were masquerading as recruiters, in an attempt to target employees of these companies.
These allegations haven’t come as a huge surprise to many, with North Korea possessing a long history of allegations that they weaponise their global network of embassies to undertake illegal activity.
[Related: Oxfam Australia target of cyber attack, statement outlined]
Liam Garman is the managing editor of professional services, real estate and security at Momentum Media. He began his career as a speech writer at New South Wales Parliament before working for world leading campaigns and research agencies in Sydney and Auckland. Throughout his career, Liam has managed and executed international media campaigns spanning politics, business, industrial relations and infrastructure. He’s since shifted his attention to writing on politics and business, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and a Masters from UNSW Canberra with a thesis on postmodernism and media ecology.