Security News > 2020 > May > US Says Chinese Hacking Vaccine Research: Reports
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and cybersecurity experts believe Chinese hackers are trying to steal research on developing a vaccine against coronavirus, two newspapers reported Monday.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are planning to release a warning about the Chinese hacking as governments and private firms race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported.
US officials alleged that the hackers are linked to the Chinese government, the reports say.
The New York Times said it could be a prelude to officially-sanctioned counterattacks by US agencies involved in cyber warfare, including the Pentagon's Cyber Command and the National Security Agency.
Britain's National Cyber Security Centre and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said they had detected large-scale "Password spraying" tactics - hackers trying to access accounts through commonly used passwords - aimed at healthcare bodies and medical research organisations.