China-backed hackers targeted EU officials to try and steal economic secrets, US cybersecurity firm says

Name: Chinese PLA officers charged with stealing personal data of Americans in Equifax credit agency hack
Uploaded: 2020-09-02T11:40:52.000Z
Duration: 1 min 40 s
Description: Chinese PLA officers charged with stealing personal data of Americans in Equifax credit agency hack

Hackers from a group known for targeting Tibetan dissidents sent phishing emails mimicking WHO Covid-19 guidance, according to US firm Proofpoint

It said in a report on Wednesday that the malware, known as Sepulcher, allows attackers to read, write and delete files, among other things

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A man wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan ‘we are hackers, we change things’ pictured in Shanghai in August. Photo: EPA

Bloomberg

Published: 7:40pm, 2 Sep 2020Updated: 8:16pm, 2 Sep 2020

A Chinese nation-state hacker group targeted European government officials, diplomats, non-profit organisations and other global entities in a phishing campaign designed to gather intelligence about global economies reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a US cybersecurity firm.

In March, hackers from a group known as APT TA413 sent phishing emails mimicking the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 guidance in an attempt to lure victims into clicking on an attachment containing malicious code, the California-headquartered Proofpoint said in a report on Wednesday. It said the malicious email was sent to “numerous entities involved with economic policy and forecasting within Europe”.

The same strain of malware was discovered in a phishing campaign in July targeting Tibetan dissidents, which the TA413 hacker group is best known for targeting, Proofpoint said.

The malware, called Sepulcher, allows attackers to read, write and delete files, among other functionalities. It is not clear to what extent the hackers were able to penetrate the networks of the groups that were targeted.

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Chinese PLA officers charged with stealing personal data of Americans in Equifax credit agency hack

The campaign’s focus on economic, diplomatic and legislative entities in Europe suggests a momentary realignment for the Chinese hackers “to collect information on global economies cast into upheaval as a result of Covid-19,” according to the report.

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