Chinese Hackers Blamed For Stealing COVID-19 Vaccine Data From Spanish Labs

As drug companies race to come up with a vaccine for COVID-19 which is still on the rise, medical institutions have become the new hot target for hackers. A shocking example of this has come to light recently, with allegations on Chinese hackers to have stolen information from Spanish laboratories working on the vaccine.

An AFP report cites El Pais, a Spanish newspaper, making the claims. As per the report, details of the attack, including the stolen information and the time of attack, are still not known. It is, thus, yet unclear as to how important the stolen information was.

(Image for representation/Reuters)

The report does mention the nature of the attack. It quotes Spain's secret service chief Paz Esteban, saying that hackers had mounted "a particularly virulent campaign targeting laboratories working on the search for a vaccine." Ezteban cleared that the attacks have not just been on Spanish laboratories but in other countries too.

Speaking to journalists, Esteban mentioned a "qualitative and quantitative" increase in attacks during lockdown. During this time, the hackers targeted "sensitive sectors such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals" as per Esteban.

She points out that there have been numerous such attacks in several countries that have been involved in developing a vaccine for COVID-19. This prompted an exchange of information between the spy services of these nations.

Security sources mention that most of these attacks around the globe were carried out by hackers from China and Russia. Though the majority of the attacks are being blamed on state organisations, some have been carried out by criminal organisations and universities which trade in hacked data.

The attack on the Spanish laboratories citing a theft of data was launched by Chinese hackers, confirmed the sources. The CNI, Spain¡¯s official intelligence agency, did not immediately comment on the report.

Hackers target COVID-19 research data

(Representative Image: Reuters)

Chinese hackers have been accused of such attacks on medical facilities in the past as well. Back in may, U.S officials warned organisations and public healthcare professionals to be vigilant for cyber theft. The warning was issued in a statement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security.

A week before that, an Iran-linked cyber attack was reported, targeting staff at U.S Drugmaker Gilead Sciences - the maker of remdesivir - one of the few drugs that enjoyed the highlight in the fight against COVID-19.

Similar reports mentioned advanced hacking attempts to breach into WHO (World Health Organisation) while the pandemic was on the rise.