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US accuses China of trying to hack and steal Covid-19 research
The United States has accused China of unleashing its hackers on American research organizations and pharmaceutical companies working on Covid-19 treatments and vaccines.
The United States has accused China of unleashing its hackers on American research organizations and pharmaceutical companies working on Covid-19 treatments and vaccines.
“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 FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a rare joint alert issued Wednesday.
“China’s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation’s response to COVID-19,” it added, identifying healthcare, pharmaceutical and research sectors as at risk. The alert also did not identify targeted organizations or describe how the hacking was discovered.
These accusation will further escalate tensions between the two countries on over the Covid-19 pandemic. The US has accused China of not alerting the world early enough about the epidemic, which started in Wuhan last December, and not being transparent about its start and the exact magnitude infections and fatalities.
News reports suggested some officials in the Trump administration were inclined to view this attempt as a threat to national security as they may have even hindered the ongoing research. No evidence was cited, once again.
CISA had issued a joint alert along with the United Kingdom’s National Security Agency in April warning about advanced persistent threat (APT) groups of targeting organizations engaged in local and international response to Covid-19.
They had not identified China or any other entity, but said healthcare bodies, pharmaceutical companies, academia, medical research organizations, and local governments.
“APT actors frequently target organizations in order to collect bulk personal information, intellectual property, and intelligence that aligns with national priorities,” it added added.
The United States has long accused Chinese hackers of targeting companies, research institutions and universities and the theft of intellectual property has been a persistent source of tension between the two countries.
US officials have also accused Iran of carrying out similar cyberattacks though the alert did not name it The Wall Street Journal said Iranian hackers have targeted Gilead Science, the maker of remdesivir, which was recently granted emergency-use authorization by the US drug regulator and which has generated excitement around world. hammered by a virus that has continued to defy cure or prevention.
More than 90 separate efforts are under was in the United States to find a vaccine. The Trump administration has launched an ambitious Manhattan Project-style effort called “Operation Warp Speed” to expedite the hunt for the vaccine in a private-public partnership. It is reported to have narrowed down the search from an estimated 93 to 14, with plans to further pare it down to seven, and then to 3 or four for final clinical trials in January.
