Security News > 2020 > April > Vietnam alleged to have hacked Chinese organisations in charge of COVID-19 response
Hackers working on behalf of the Vietnamese government attempted to break into Chinese organisations heading up the country's coronavirus response, according to infosec outfit FireEye.
APT32, a hacking group previously linked to the Vietnamese government, tried to access the personal and professional email addresses of staff at China's Ministry of Emergency Management and the government of Wuhan, where it is believed the pandemic started, according to a report released by FireEye yesterday.
Between January and April, APT32 sent Chinese officials phishing emails that contained a tracking link claiming to direct the reader to a report on office equipment bids.
"The COVID-19 crisis poses an intense, existential concern to governments, and the current air of distrust is amplifying uncertainties, encouraging intelligence collection on a scale that rivals armed conflict," the FireEye team concluded in their report.
Tensions between Vietnam and China are high, as the former nation this week protested the latter's extension of its domestic administration units to cover disputed islands in the South China Sea.