Security News > 2020 > June > Why would someone want to hack Germany's PPE supply chain? We're glad you masked

Hackers are targeting German companies tasked with replenishing the nation's supply of personal protective equipment.

The X-Force team believes that the corporation is being targeted specifically because of its status within the task force, and the phishing campaign is part of a larger effort by an unknown hacking crew to disrupt the PPE supply chain in Germany.

"The exact timing of the operation, the specific companies being targeted, down to the specific departments within those companies being targeted, make this a highly targeted and calculated operation."

What is strongly suspected is that the attackers, for one reason or another, want to get an inside view of Germany's efforts to procure PPE. It is not known for sure that the hackers are government backed, though that might not matter in this era where many governments enlist private hacking crews to help with their efforts.

"The fact that they were targeting high-ranking executives in procurement, management and operations in companies that, together, form an essential supply chain to respond to the coronavirus crisis, leads us to believe they were seeking to exploit the new government-led procurement and supply chain initiative," he explains.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/06/08/ibm_germany_ppe/