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HEALTH-VIRUS-US-CHINA
US says Chinese hacking vaccine research: reports
WASHINGTON, May 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The US Federal Bureau of
Investigation and cybersecurity experts believe Chinese hackers are trying to
steal research on developing a vaccine against coronavirus, two newspapers
reported Monday.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are planning to release a
warning about the Chinese hacking as governments and private firms race to
develop a vaccine for COVID-19, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times
reported.
The hackers are also targeting information and intellectual property on
treatments and testing for COVID-19.
US officials alleged that the hackers are linked to the Chinese
government, the reports say.
The official warning could come within days.
In Beijing Foreign Affairs ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected the
allegation, saying China firmly opposes all cyber attacks.
“We are leading the world in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research. It
is immoral to target China with rumors and slanders in the absence of any
evidence,” Zhao said.
The warning would add to a series of alerts and reports accusing
government-backed hackers in Iran, North Korea, Russia and China of malicious
activity related to the pandemic, from pumping out false news to targeting
workers and scientists.
The New York Times said it could be a prelude to officially-sanctioned
counterattacks by US agencies involved in cyber warfare, including the
Pentagon’s Cyber Command and the National Security Agency.
Last week in a joint message Britain and the United States warned of a
rise in cyber attacks against health professionals involved in the
coronavirus response by organised criminals “often linked with other state
actors.”
Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre and the US Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency said they had detected large-scale “password
spraying” tactics — hackers trying to access accounts through commonly used
passwords — aimed at healthcare bodies and medical research organisations.
BSS/AFP/MRU/2100hrs