N. Korean Hackers Said to Have Targeted J&J, Novavax: DJ

(Bloomberg) -- North Korean hackers have targeted at least six companies in the U.S., U.K. and S. Korea working on coronavirus treatments since August, Dow Jones reports, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

• Targets include Johnson & Johnson and Novavax.
  • Also includes three South Korean companies, Genexine Inc., Shin Poong Pharmaceutical, Celltrion.
  • Hackers also targeted AstraZeneca, a development which Reuters first reported Friday.
• Not known if North Korean hackers succeeded in getting useful information. North Korea has coordinated attacks on the six companies since August, the people told Dow Jones.
• Shin Poong, Celltrion said they received hacking attacks but didn’t detect damage, spokesmen told DJ.
  • J&J spokesman told DJ the company remains vigilant against its data.
  • Novavax spokeswoman told DJ the company is aware of foreign threats.
  • Genexine told DJ it’s looking into the matter but found no evidence of a hacking attempt.
  • Astrazeneca declined to comment to DJ.

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