North Korean hackers targeted ethnic Koreans in China with Android ‘BirdCall’ malware

(Jonathan Greig – The Record) Ethnic Koreans living in the Yanbian region of China were targeted by a sophisticated North Korean hacking group with a strain of malware attached to a popular Android mobile game. Researchers at cybersecurity firm ESET attributed the campaign to APT37 and said the hackers used a backdoor attached to a suite of card games from a company called Sqgame. The backdoor, named BirdCall by the researchers, allowed APT37 to take screenshots, record calls, steal personal data and more. The Yanbian region of China is on the border with North Korea and is often referred to as “Third Korea.” ESET researchers said the campaign was likely aimed at refugees or defectors from the North Korean regime. – North Korean hackers targeted ethnic Koreans in China with Android ‘BirdCall’ malware | The Record from Recorded Future News