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The Trump administration is calling out the Chinese authorities over alleged tries to hack and steal statistics for creating a coronavirus vaccine.
The Justice Department and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced on Wednesday that state-sponsored Chinese hackers are targeting US researchers in cyberattacks seeking information on vaccines for COVID-19. The hackers are also looking to steal data related to testing for the coronavirus outbreak, as well as treatments.
“These actors have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property (IP) and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing from networks and personnel affiliated with COVID-19-related research,” the joint warning said.
The agencies said it would be releasing more technical details about the hacking attempts “in the coming days.”
The warning endorsed that researchers patch all their structures for indispensable vulnerabilities, and require multi-factor authentication for accounts. Companies at risk should also know that more press attention will mean a higher chance of hacking attempts, the warnings said.
Cyberattacks have been on the uprise because of COVID-19, with cybercriminals taking advantage of people’s fears about the pandemic. The FBI said it’s received more than 3,600 complaints related to the coronavirus in April, and scams surrounding the disease have stolen more than $12 million from Americans.
Government-backed hackers are using cyberattacks to steal information from other countries, security researchers have found. Cybersecurity firm FireEye said it’s found that state-sponsored hackers from Vietnam had been targeting the Chinese government for information on how it’s been handling the COVID-19 outbreak.
Reuters also reported that hackers linked to Iran had been targeting attacks against Gilead Sciences, the company behind the coronavirus drug Remdesvir.
In April, the World Health Organization said it’s seen a fivefold increase in cyberattacks, while on May 5 the US’s Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre issued a joint warning that government-backed hackers were targeting healthcare organizations.
The targets included pharmaceutical companies and researchers linked to COVID-19 responses, the government officials said.
The warning did not specifically single out China, though the US government has openly called out the nation’s hackers for other cyberattacks, including the Equifax breach and “massive theft” from NASA.
The Justice Department has stated that extra than ninety percentage of its monetary espionage instances contain China, inclusive of in scientific research. The coronavirus pandemic is leading to more espionage cases, as countries are looking to hack their way to a cure for the disease.
Researchers have noted that a coronavirus vaccine is key to economic recovery from the pandemic, and that without it, models predict hundreds of thousands of deaths from the disease.
Countries are seeking an advantage in developing vaccines and responses to the coronavirus outbreak, and are turning to their hackers to get information that other nations might not be sharing.
Google said it’s found more than a dozen hacking groups backed by governments launching coronavirus-related cyberattacks.
“China’s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation’s response to COVID-19,” CISA and the FBI said. “This announcement is intended to raise awareness for research institutions and the American public and provide resources and guidance for those who may be targeted.”
