Security News > 2020 > May > US Says China Trying to Steal COVID-19 Vaccine Research
US authorities warned healthcare and scientific researchers Wednesday that Chinese-backed hackers were attempting to steal research and intellectual property related to treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.
"We are leading the world in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine research. It is immoral to target China with rumors and slanders in the absence of any evidence," Zhao said.
The warning adds to a series of alerts and reports accusing government-backed hackers in Iran, North Korea, Russia and China of malicious activity related to the coronavirus pandemic, from pumping out false news to targeting workers and scientists.
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 organizations.
Reporting the expected FBI warning on Monday, 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.