Chinese hackers have used fake documents about the coronavirus to deliver malicious software and steal sensitive user information, according to a report Thursday from researchers documenting a growing wave of cybercrime exploiting fears about the global pandemic.
As the novel coronavirus has moved across the world, cybercriminals and spies have taken advantage of the growing demand for information by loading malicious software into tracking maps, government reports and health fact sheets in numerous languages. New websites with variations on “coronavirus” in their Internet addresses also have exploded, with many of them masking online scams.
Among the most sophisticated efforts has been a campaign by a group of Chinese hackers, dubbed Vicious Panda by cybersecurity researchers at Check Point, an Israeli-based technology company. In its report Thursday, Check Point called Vicious Panda an “advanced persistent threat,” a designation reserved for the most technically adept and well-organized attackers, often having government backing.
