Washington: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and cybersecurity experts heaped allegations against Chinese hackers Monday. They said Chinese hackers are trying to steal research on developing a vaccine against coronavirus. The development has been reported by two newspapers here Monday.
US concerned
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are planning to release a warning about the Chinese hacking. Governments and private firms are in a race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. So they will be cautioned about Chinese hackers, the ‘Wall Street Journal’ and ‘New York Times’ reported Monday.
The hackers are also targetting information and intellectual property on treatments and testing for COVID-19. US officials alleged that the hackers are linked to the Chinese government, the reports say. The official warning could come within days.
China denies report
In Beijing, Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected the allegation. He said firmly that China opposes all cyber attacks.
“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 pointed out.
The warning would add to a series of alerts and reports that had appeared earlier. Those had accusing government-backed hackers in Iran, North Korea, Russia and China of malicious activities. Their nefarious moves were related to the pandemic, from pumping out false news to targeting workers and scientists.
Report in New York Times
‘The New York Times’ said it could be a prelude to officially-sanction counter-attacks by US agencies involved in cyber warfare. Among them are the Pentagon’s ‘Cyber Command’ and the ‘National Security Agency’.
Last week in a joint message Britain and the United States warned of a rise in cyber attacks against health professionals. They said that the professionals will be targetted to get news about the latest news on COVID-19
Agencies
