Microsoft: Russian, North Korean hackers targeting COVID-19 vaccines

Software giant Microsoft says three “nation-state actors” from North Korea and Russia are launching cyber attacks against vaccine makers from a number of nations, including France, South Korea and the U.S.
Tom Burt, a vice president on security issues, said in a blog post on Friday that “among the targets, the majority are vaccine makers that have Covid-19 vaccines in various stages of clinical trials.’’ Burt did not name the companies.
The hackers are using both brute force methods and spear-phishing tactics. One of the North Korean groups sent email lures using “Covid-19 themes while masquerading as World Health Organisation representatives.’’
The pharmaceutical companies being targeted in the latest attacks are based in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States, Microsoft said.
The U.S. has also accused China, back in July, of trying to hack into vaccine makers’ systems.
Microsoft noted that the health care sector has been the target of attacks for a while by actors “taking advantage of the pandemic.’’
The hacking attempts have hit at the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Thailand and states in the U.S.