SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) – Hackers working in the interests of the Iranian government have attempted to break into the personal email accounts of staff at the World Health Organization during the coronavirus outbreak, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
FILE PHOTO: Traffic passes the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Washington, D.C., U.S. March 22, 2020. Picture taken with a long exposure. REUTERS/Raphael Satter/File Photo
It is not clear if any accounts were compromised, but the attacks show how the WHO and other organizations at the center of a global effort to contain the coronavirus have come under a sustained digital bombardment by hackers seeking information about the outbreak.
Reuters reported in March that hacking attempts against the United Nations health agency and its partners had more than doubled since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, which has now killed more than 40,000 worldwide.
The latest effort has been ongoing since March 2 and attempted to steal passwords from WHO staff by sending malicious messages designed to mimic Google web services to their personal email accou