The hackers have been targeting British, Canadian and American organizations researching vaccines using spear-phishing and malware.
Russian hackers are attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the American, British and Canadian governments said Thursday, opening a dangerous new front in the cyberwars and intelligence battles between Moscow and the West.
The National Security Agency said APT29, the hacking group known as Cozy Bear and associated with Russian intelligence, has been taking advantage of the chaos created by the coronavirus pandemic and trying to steal intelligence on vaccines from health care organizations.
The Russian hackers have been targeting British, Canadian and American organizations using spear-phishing and malware to try to get access to the research as well as information about medical supply chains.
“We condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” said Paul Chichester, the director of operations for Britain’s National Cyber Security Center.
The Russians are not alone in trying to steal vaccine information from the United States and other countries. The U. S. government has previously warned about efforts by China and Iran to steal vaccine research.
There was likely little immediate damage to global public health, said Mike Chapple, an associate professor who teaches cybersecurity at the University of Notre Dame and a former Air Force intelligence officer.
“The potential harm here is limited to commercial harm, to companies that are devoting a lot of their own resources into developing a vaccine in hopes it will be financially rewarding down the road,” he said.
