Cybercriminals Attack COVID-19 Vaccine Developers

[Tomcat]

The UK's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) reported a significant increase in the number of cyberattacks targeting UK universities and research organizations developing a coronavirus infection (COVID-19) vaccine. Cybercriminals operating under the cover of foreign government agencies, in particular China and Iran, actively attack researchers in order to steal important data.

As reported by The Guardian, dozens of medical institutions are currently investigating COVID-19, so attackers are trying to steal any valuable information related to the activities of scientists. So far, no successful attacks have been recorded.

The NCSC is working closely with experts at the University of Oxford, who are working on the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus. Despite the increased number of cyberattacks, the total number of cybersecurity-related incidents in the UK did not increase during the pandemic.

The increase in cybercrime activity during the pandemic was noted last month. For example, in April, Deputy Assistant Director of the US FBI, Tonya Ugoretz, reported an increase in cybercrime attacks and hacks in the systems of some institutions that publicly announced their work on research into the study of COVID-19.