Google has recently unveiled a report that says it detected several security researchers to be the new targets of North Korean hackers using the APT system, with the company's Threat Analysis Group (TAG). These hackers from North Korea are plaguing user's social media and have been introducing malware, and other threats to impede their work.
The internet company from Mountain View's security research team, Threat Analysis Group (TAG), has recently discovered that North Korean hackers have been on the social media platforms, awaiting victims to engage. The hackers have ingeniously launched social media accounts to be researched by the security experts, then inserting malware with its fake accounts.
The hackers are getting clever, as they parade as a completely different person as who they advertise they are on social media. As evidenced in TAG's research, these hackers are pretending to be people that have solved massive security threats, which in turn, would push the security researchers for vulnerability and development to open and view.
Google's TAG Discovers North Korean APT Hackers
Google is investigating another researcher
According to Google TAG's blog post, the group has pinpointed North Korean hackers to be using APT or advanced persistent threat groups to be behind the attacks. Notably, Google's TAG is mainly concerned with hunting hackers which mainly use the APT type method of hacking that is comparable to covert operations in the military.
Most APT hackers are state-sponsored or supported by massive entities because of the extensive performance they carry out that spans an extended period of time. Google's TAG believes that the North Korean government supports these hackers and has issued a warning to all security researchers who are targets of the hacking campaign.
North Korean APT Hackers Target Social Media Platforms of Security Researchers
Moreover, it is worth noting that several social media platforms were invaded by these North Korean hackers, masquerading as normal accounts, waiting for their prey to bite the bait. Social media platforms including Twitter, LinkedIn, Discord, Telegram, and Keybase are some of the social networks that these hackers have invaded and hide in.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: In this photo illustration, The Google logo is displayed on a mobile phone and computer monitor on August 09, 2017 in London, England. Founded in 1995 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google now makes hundreds of products used by billions of people across the globe, from YouTube and Android to Smartbox and Google Search.
Pretending as security researchers as well, these hackers would engage with legitimate security researchers by sending links about their "works" that have successfully fixed several systems and asks for a collaboration. The files that would be sent over would be containing malware that can effectively hack and invade the security company that person works for.
Other Methods of North Korean APT Hackers
According to ZD Net, apart from social media platforms, the North Korean hackers would also use web browsers, emails, and blog sites to distribute its malware and hack the security researchers after accessing it. Google TAG said that these hackers would endorse a blog site about their exploits against threats, and it would already contain trojans and viruses.
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Written by Isaiah Alonzo