Russian, North Korean hackers target Covid-19 vaccines, Microsoft warns

Russian, North Korean hackers target Covid-19 vaccines, Microsoft warns
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Hackers from North Korea and Russia are launching cyberattacks against manufacturers of vaccines in many countries, including France, South Korea and the United States, according to Microsoft.

"Among the targets, the majority are vaccine makers that have Covid-19 vaccines in various stages of clinical trials,” Tom Burt, Microsoft’s corporate vice-president of customer security and trust, said on Friday.

While Microsoft did not name the companies targeted, it said they were based in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States and that most of the attacks were blocked by its security protections.

In July, the United States had also accused China of trying to hack into pharmaceutical companies working on vaccines.

Microsoft noted that, for some time now, the healthcare sector has been the target of attacks by actors exploiting the coronavirus pandemic.

Cybercriminals have already hit the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Thailand and some US states.

The Brussels Times


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