Russian and North Korean hackers detected targeting Covid-19 vaccine data

KOMPAS.com – A number hacker is now targeting data theft from corona virus vaccine makers. This was conveyed by Microsoft via its website recently.

Quoted AP News, Friday (11/13/2020), Microsoft detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers to steal valuable data from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers.

Microsoft said most of the attacks hacker in recent months to no avail.

However, it did not provide information on how many were successful or how serious the violations were.

According to the US government, the Chinese state-backed hackers have also targeted vaccine makers Covid-19.

Also read: Australian Covid-19 Vaccine Candidates Claimed to Trigger Antibody Response

Most of the targets are located in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States. These sites are directly involved in vaccine research and treatment for Covid-19 in various stages of clinical trials.

Meanwhile, one of the identified hacker groups is Fancy Bear, a Russian military agent. According to Britain’s National Center for Cybersecurity, the group was behind the infiltration attempt in July.

Meanwhile, two other groups identified were the North Korean Lazarus Group and a group referred to by Microsoft as Cerium.

Most breaching attempts involve attempts to steal credentials login people associated with the targeted organization.

Microsoft said the Lazarus Group was in the role of a job recruiter, while Cerium was targeting email spear-phishing which is disguised as missives from representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also read: Claimed to be 90 Percent Effective, the Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Is Deemed Unavailable Before December

Vaccine development

Optimism about coronavirus vaccine has been growing since pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced earlier this week that preliminary data showed the vaccine was 90 percent effective.

At the same time, the number of coronavirus cases in the US is soaring. Deaths per day have surged more than 40 percent over the past two weeks to an average of more than 1,100. That’s the highest in three months.

Quoted The New York Times, Saturday (14/11/2020), there are 6 vaccines that lead in vaccine research efforts.

The following is a list of vaccines that have been approved for limited use in some countries:

The vaccine that has been approved for limited use by China is CanSino Biologics.

China approved the vaccine on June 25 for a year. However, it did not say whether vaccination would be mandatory or optional for soldiers.

Starting in August, CanSino began running Phase 3 trials in a number of countries including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Russia.

Also read: Scientists Believe Pfizer’s Corona Vaccine Will End the Covid-19 Pandemic

• The Gamaleya Research Institute

The Gamaleya Research Institute is part of the Russian Ministry of Health.

On August 11, President Vladimir V Putin announced that Russian health care regulators had approved the vaccine even before the Phase 3 trials began.

The name of the vaccine was later changed to Sputnik V.

The Vector Institute is a Russian biological research center. On October 14, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had given regulatory approval to EpiVacCorona. This makes it the second vaccine approved by Russia after Sputnik V.

• Sinopharm (there are 2 types of vaccines)

The Wuhan Institute of Biological Products developed an inactivated virus vaccine, which China’s state-owned company Sinopharm put into clinical trials.

On September 14, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) gave emergency approval for the Sinopharm vaccine for use in health care workers.

Sinopharm has also started testing a second inactivated viral vaccine, this one developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products. This vaccine is also approved for emergency use by the UAE.

Also read: Ask the Provincial Government to Survey the Needs of Entrepreneurs during the Pandemic, DKI Kadin: We Also Need Vaccines

Private Chinese company Sinovac Biotech is testing an inactive vaccine called CoronaVac. The Chinese government gave the Sinovac vaccine emergency approval for limited use in July.

Sinovac has also been preparing to manufacture the vaccine for global distribution, reaching an agreement to supply Indonesia with at least 40 million doses by March 2021.

In September, Yin Weidong, CEO of Sinovac, said the company plans to distribute vaccines worldwide by early 2021, including to the United States.

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