China Trying To Hack U.S. Firms For Covid-19 Research : FBI
The United States Intelligence, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) agencies warned that the Chinese cyber actors are trying to hack U.S organisations Covid-19 research data.
The joint statement of FBI and CISA said all U.S firms conducting COVID-19 work should maintain Cybersecurity to prevent an online theft.
” FBI is investigating the targeting and compromise of U.S organisations conducting COVID-19 related research by PRC-affiliated cyber actors and non traditional collectors.
These actors have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property and public health data related to vaccines, treatments and testing from networks and personnel affiliated with COVID-19 related research.
“The potential theft of this information jeopardises the delivery of secure, effective and efficient treatment options,” in the statement said.
FBI is responsible for protecting the U.S against foreign intelligence, espionage, and cyber operations, among other responsibilities. CISA is responsible for protecting the nations critical infrastructure from physical and Cyber threats.
Following Recommendations Given in the joint statement
- To patch all systems for critical vulnerabilities, prioritising timely patching for known vulnerabilities of internet-connected servers and software processing internet data.
- Actively scan web applications for unauthorized access, modification, or anomalous activities.
- Improve credential requirements and require multi-factor authentication.
- Identify and suspend access of users exhibiting unusual activity.
The Coronavirus originated from China, a Wuhan city. At the time of writing, in the United States (U.S.), more than 1.4 million Coronavirus cases and at least 85,333 deaths counted in the U.S, as per record source Worldometers.
China has repeatedly denied United States accusations of cyber-espionage.
According to BBC report, Earlier this week, foreign affairs ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, “we are leading the world in Covid-19 treatment and vaccine research. It is immoral to target China with rumours and slanders in the absence of any evidence.”
Recently, the BlackBerry researchers found Chinese Hackers Group, which is targeting Linux servers, Windows, and Android devices Anonymously for years.
The research revealed that the Chinese government is attempting Cyber espionage against Intellectual property theft and data collection.
In January 2020, the Cyber security researchers of IBM X-Force and Kaspersky have detected the malicious files with Coronavirus’s name.
