Microsoft said it has detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers to steal valuable data from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers. Chinese state-backed hackers have also been targeting vaccine-makers, the U.S. government said in July while announcing criminal charges. Microsoft announced today that it detected attempts by Russian and North Korean hackers (file image)to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchersMicrosoft said most of the targets - located in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States - were "directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for COVID-19." Most of the break-in efforts involved attempts to steal the login credentials of people associated with the targeted organizations. Optimism about a COVID-19 vaccine has grown since pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced earlier this week that preliminary data showed its vaccine to be 90% effective.

Source: Daily Mail November 14, 2020 01:28 UTC