On Wednesday, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cyber division warned voters that the Chinese government allegedly had backed hackers attempting to steal the work of coronavirus researchers dealing with the response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Both the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI reported how health care and pharmaceutical researchers must be alert to potential attacks and also take measures to protect their data.
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Organizations conducting research into COVID-19 may be targeted by computer hackers linked to the Chinese government, according to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. https://t.co/ZfxhwTdZM8
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) May 13, 2020
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#BREAKING: WSJ reports hackers from #China & #Iran are aggressively targeting American universities, pharmaceutical and other health-care firms in a way that could be hampering efforts to find a #COVID19 vaccine. 1/2https://t.co/hHLyjDaJ0X
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) May 13, 2020
Although neither organization released names of specific institutions targeted, the DOJ said institutions that received media attention for their efforts in relation to COVID-19 “should assume” that they would be targeted and should take precautions.
“he potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options,” the Department of Justice released in a statement.
“The F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security are preparing to issue a warning that China’s most skilled hackers and spies are working to steal American research in the crash effort to develop vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus” https://t.co/ZXXKIEGC4n
— Jonathan Martin (@jmart) May 11, 2020
This news comes during increased tensions between the U.S. and China over the source of the coronavirus outbreak and Trump administration valid complaints that China did not alert the world adequately to the danger posed by the new virus.
China has continuously urged the U.S. to “top unwarranted accusations,” but that hasn’t stopped the D.C. leadership. It’s well known that hackers backed by the Chinese government have stolen economic and academic data.
This piece was written by Wayne Dupree on May 13, 2020. It originally appeared in WayneDupree.com and is used by permission.
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