Accusation confirmed by the National Security Agency
LONDON — The U.K.’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) reports that it has evidence that a Russian “cyber espionage group” has attempted to steal coronavirus vaccine research from the U.S., Britain and Canada.
The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) agrees.
The NCSC report states, “Throughout 2020, APT29 has targeted various organizations involved in COVID-19 vaccine development in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, highly likely with the intention of stealing information and intellectual property relating to the development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines.”
In a reported statement to ABC News,Anne Neuberger, NSA’s cybersecurity director states that “The National Security Agency (NSA), along with our partners, remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting national security by collectively issuing this critical cybersecurity advisory as foreign actors continue to take advantage of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic”. She went on to say that “APT29 has a long history of targeting governmental, diplomatic, think-tank, healthcare and energy organizations for intelligence gain so we encourage everyone to take this threat seriously and apply the mitigations issued in the advisory.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also weighed in in a statement stating, “”The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective and efficient treatment options.”
The Kremlin has denied any Russian involvement in the hacking of pharmaceutical companies.
