Hackers have been trying to steal data from major German weapon manufacturers in recent months.
The German television channels BR and ARD report based on their own research that it concerns the hacker group Lazarus, which works in the service of North Korea.
Two of the affected companies are Rheinmetall and Renk AG. They do not want to confirm the hacking attempts against the German media. They do say that there is a good defence system should hackers gain access to their network and systems.
The German Information Technology Security Service (BSI) says Lazarus is trying to obtain important information through cyber espionage.
“Germany does not share weapons or information with North Korea, and the North Koreans are trying to get the right knowledge by stealing data. to be able to manufacture the weapons ourselves. “
The hackers often approach employees of the weapons companies via LinkedIn. After exchanging several messages, the employee is offered a job at another company. For more information, they must open a PDF file. By downloading and opening that file, the hacker gains access to the employee’s computer and network.
IT experts tell BR that Lazarus has also recently turned more and more towards pharmaceuticals, to get their hands on information about corona vaccines.