Chinese hackers target German pharma and tech firms

Asia Pacific Telecom Co

26/01/2022 13:32

BERLIN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Chinese hacker group APT 27, long
suspected of launching attacks on Western government agencies,
has started targeting German companies in sectors such as
pharmaceuticals and technology, Germany's Federal Office for the
Protection of the Constitution (BfV) said on Wednesday.
    In addition to stealing trade secrets and intellectual
property, the hackers may be trying to penetrate customers' and
service providers' networks to infiltrate several companies at
once, the BfV said in a circular to companies.
    In its annual constitutional protection report from 2019,
the BfV had pointed out the group's acronym APT 27 is an alias
for a Chinese hacker group also known as the "Emissary Panda,"
which is believed to target foreign embassies and critical
sectors.
    Last year, the United States and its allies accused China of
a carrying out a global cyberespionage campaign. China has
denied the allegation.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2OW0H5

 (Reporting by Zuzanna Szymanska
Editing by Mark Potter)
 ((zuzanna.szymanska@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 4036 18603;))