British, US and Canadian security forces warned in a joint statement on Thursday that Russia is carrying out cyber attacks on institutions investigating a drug against the corona virus.
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The state hackers are likely to seek information about the development of a corona vaccine.
To do this, they use targeted phishing attacks, in which they try to lure employees of the institutions to counterfeit sites, in the hope of obtaining login details. They also have malicious software to get to their targets.
The attacks on laboratories in the three countries are, according to the Western services, the work of hacker group APT29. The hackers are said to be led by the Russian foreign intelligence service. Known under the nickname Cozy Bear, the group is also referred to as Office Monkeys, CozyCar, The Dukes, and CozyDuke.
“While some are recklessly pursuing their own interests, the UK and its allies continue to work hard to find a vaccine and protect global healthcare,” said UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab in a press release. Raab further called the cyber attacks “completely unacceptable.” “The UK will hold the guilty responsible for their actions.”
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