NOKOR HACKERS SUSPECTED IN CYBERATTACK ON ASTRAZENECA

North Korean hackers are suspected to have carried out a cyberattack against British coronavirus vaccine developer AstraZeneca in recent weeks, Reuters revealed, citing two unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter.

According to Nada Bashir, Chris Liakos, Yoonjung Seo and Angus Watson of CNN, North Korean hackers posed as recruiters on networking site LinkedIn and WhatsApp in order to approach AstraZeneca staff, including those working on coronavirus research, with fake job offers.

The suspected hackers then sent documents -- some using Russian email addresses -- purporting to be job descriptions that were in fact laced with malicious code designed to give the hackers access to the victim's computers, Reuters reported.

According to Reuters sources, the hackers are not thought to have been successful. While AstraZeneca has declined to comment on the matter, the University of Oxford -- which is working in conjunction with the drugmaker to develop a coronavirus vaccine -- told CNN in a statement that the university is working closely with the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to ensure its protection. "Oxford University is working closely with the National Cyber Security Center to ensure our COVID-19 research has the best possible cyber security and protection," a university spokesperson told CNN.