The US authorities have accused hackers linked with the Chinese government of launching cyber attacks against U.S. organizations involved in COVID-19-related research.
In a joint alert published Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI ) said the ongoing attacks are currently investigated by the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
“These actors have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property (IP) and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing from networks and personnel affiliated with COVID-19-related research ,” the two agencies said.
“The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options.”
Although the agencies gave no evidence or examples of their allegation against China, they urged medical research organizations to stay alert and report suspicious cyber activity.
The public warning also provides defensive measures to help research facilities to prevent potential cyber attacks:
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Assume that press attention affiliating your organization with COVID-19-related research will lead to increased interest and cyber activity.
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Patch all systems for critical vulnerabilities, prioritizing timely patching for known vulnerabilities of internet-connected servers and software processing internet data.
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Actively scan web applications for unauthorized access, modification, or anomalous activities.
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Improve credential requirements and require multi-factor authentication.
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Identify and suspend access of users exhibiting unusual activity
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