US, UK probing hacking into Covid-19 research

THE US and UK are investigating hacking incidents against pharmaceutical companies, medical groups and universities involved in research related to Covid-19. "Advanced Persistent Threat" (APT) groups, a term that refers to sophisticated hackers who are typically backed by a nation-state, are "actively targeting organisations involved in both national and international Covid-19 responses," said a joint alert from the US Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the UK's National Cyber Security Centre.

The APT hackers "may seek to obtain intelligence on national and international healthcare policy, or acquire sensitive data on Covid-19-related research," said the alert. Details were not given. The joint warning comes as hackers have increased attempted cyber-attacks amid the ongoing pandemic. Cyber criminals have attacked hospitals with ransomware, and suspected nation-state actors have targeted World Health Organization officials. Hackers have also sought to capitalise on the pandemic, by using lures related to the crisis in "phishing" e-mail and espionage campaigns.

The APT groups "frequently target organisations to collect bulk personal information, intellectual property, and intelligence that aligns with national priorities", the alert said. Organisations that play a role in research related to the virus are "attractive targets" for hackers "looking to obtain information for their domestic research efforts into Covid-19-related medicine". It warned that hackers use a technique called "password spraying" to breach computer networks, essentially trying common passwords against a large number of accounts. This technique allows the attacker to remain undetected by avoiding frequent account lockouts, it said. BLOOMBERG