China-Linked Hackers Try Stealing Confidential COVID-19 Research, Say US Officials
This was revealed by U.S officials, asking organisations and public healthcare professionals to be vigilant for cyber theft.
COVID-19 has shaken our whole world completely. Who would have thought that a disease that sprung up in the market of Wuhan city, Hubei province in China will spread to such an extent that it will cripple the entire world, halt air travel, bring petrol prices to the lowest in decades and claim so many lives along the way?
Reuters
However, researchers around the world are striving hard to finding the solution to crack the COVID-19 code. However, reports are surfacing online, claiming that hackers from China are breaking into organizations in America who are working on COVID-19 research and stealing their data.
Reported first by Reuters, this was revealed by U.S officials on Wednesday, asking organisations and public healthcare professionals to be vigilant for cyber theft. The statement was issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as well as Department of Homeland Security.
Here they¡¯ve also announced that FBI was investigating digital break-ins at the US organizations by China-linked ¡®cyber actors and they¡¯ve been spotted attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual properties as well as public health information pertaining to vaccines, treatments and testing from networks as well as people affiliated with the research.
Oddly, the statement doesn¡¯t offer more details on the method of breaching or any other information on hackers.
Chinese Embassy in Washington DC hasn¡¯t responded to any statements pertaining to this as of now. However, they¡¯re usually known to portray a denial stance on such cyber espionage accusations.
Reuters
This, however, isn¡¯t the first hacking incident. Last week reports revealed Iran-linked cyberspies had targetted staff at U.S Drugmaker Gilead Sciences -- the maker of remdesivir -- one of the few drugs proven to work against COVID-19. I
n March reports revealed advanced hacking attempts to breach into WHO (World Health Organisation) as the pandemic spread across the world.
Even though China might be open for business while the wold is locked into their homes, COVID-19 hasn¡¯t fully disappeared from the country. Recently a cluster of new cases emerged in the epicentre of COVID-19 in Wuhan, which opened its doors after a 76-day lockdown.
To be on a safer side, it recently announced that it will be testing 11 million citizens of Wuhan in a matter of 10 days to fully get rid of the novel coronavirus.
