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Microsoft: Russian and North Korean Hackers Attempting to Steal Valuable Vaccine Data

BM.GE

13.11.20 21:00

• 805

Russian and North Korean hackers have attempted to steal "valuable" coronavirus vaccine data, Microsoft has said.

As reported by The Independent, State-backed actors tried to obtain information from pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers working on the jab, the firm added.

Microsoft wrote in a blog post on Friday that most of the attacks in the past few months have been foiled.

The tech giant did not elaborate on whether the hackers had made any successful attempts at breaching the companies' IT systems or how many attacks had taken place.

It comes just a day after Dr Anthony Fauci announced that a vaccine programme would be rolled in the US by December, with ordinary Americans getting the shot by spring.

The targets, which Microsoft has not named, were “directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for COVID-19".

Microsoft cyber security experts identified Russia's state-backed hacking outfit Fancy Bears as one of the groups trying to steal information.

Fancy Bear hackers attempted to steal information from companies and researchers based in Britain, the UK's National Cyber Security Center said in July.

China has also launched an online campaign to steal information, according to the US government, which announced charges in July.

Lazarus Group and second outfit Microsoft refers to as "Cerium" were behind North Korea's moves to steal vaccine data.

Russian Hackers North Korea vaccine COVID19 Data