U.K. Security Officials: Russian Hackers Targeting Coronavirus Vaccine Research

Russian spies have targeted U.S., U.K., and Canadian organizations trying to develop a vaccine for the Chinese coronavirus, according to British security officials.

The U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said Russian state-sponsored hackers are targeting drug companies and research groups.

The hackers are allegedly part of a group called APT29 – also known as “the Dukes” or “Cozy Bear” – which British security officials say “is a cyber espionage group, almost certainly part of the Russian intelligence services.”

“The United States’ National Security Agency (NSA) agrees with this attribution and the details provided in this report,” noted the NCSC in a statement made on Thursday.

The government agency added that APT29 “uses a variety of tools and techniques to predominantly target governmental, diplomatic, think-tank, healthcare and energy targets for intelligence gain.”

“Throughout 2020, APT29 has targeted various organisations involved in COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirtus] vaccine development in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, highly likely with the intention of stealing information and intellectual property relating to the development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines,” the statement continued.

The NCSC added that APT29 uses custom malware “to target a number of organisations globally.”

“This includes those organisations involved with COVID-19 vaccine development,” affirmed the British security officials.

The NCSC did not say if the Kremlin’s intelligence services have been successful in their goal to steal medical secrets, nor did it specify which organizations have been targeted – but did note that none of the vaccine research was compromised.

“It is completely unacceptable that the Russian intelligence services are targeting those working to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” said U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Dominic Raab, according to a report by BBC.

“While others pursue their selfish interests with reckless behavior, the UK and its allies are getting on with the hard work of finding a vaccine and protecting global health,” he added.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.