Security News > 2020 > December > Hackers target EU Commission, COVID-19 cold chain supply orgs
IBM X-Force warned of threat actors actively targeting organizations associated with the COVID-19 vaccine cold chain in a large scale spear-phishing campaign that has started three months ago, in September 2020.
Cold chain orgs are an essential part of storing and delivering the COVID-19 vaccine at safe temperatures, minus 70 degrees Celsius for the one made by Pfizer and minus 20 Celsius for the one developed by Moderna.
"Spear-phishing emails were sent to select executives in sales, procurement, information technology and finance positions, likely involved in company efforts to support a vaccine cold chain," IBM X-Force threat analyst Claire Zaboeva said in a report published earlier today,.
In their phishing messages, the attackers impersonate a business executive from Haier Biomedical, a Chinese company known as "The world's only complete cold chain provider" and as a qualified supplier for The Vaccine Alliance's Cold Chain Equipment Optimization Platform program.
While Americold was not publicly confirmed as being an organization involved in the COVID-19 cold chain, airport industry news website Air Cargo World has reported that the Chicago Rockford Airport wants to partner with Americold for storing COVID-19 vaccines before distribution.