Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Documentation Unlawfully Accessed by Threat Actors
Throughout most of 2020, threat actors have taken advantage of the panic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, either through the use of COVID-19-themed phishing attacks, to cold supply-chain attacks. This time, threat actors were able to hack into the EMA (European Medicines Agency) server and access documentation about the potential vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.
Both Pfizer and BioNTech have acknowledged the attack but are not releasing any details, pending internal and external investigations. The EMA released a statement, saying “EMA has been the subject of a cyberattack. The agency has swiftly launched a full investigation, in close cooperation with law enforcement and other relevant entities.” Their release added that details “will be made available in due course.”
Pfizer and BioNTech, the companies behind a proposed vaccine called ‘BNT162b2′ (which is authorized for emergency use in the U.K. and elsewhere), also released a statement adding that the two companies’ systems remain secure, including personal data collected from patient trials. More importantly, the two companies assured the public that the breach would not slow down the EMA’s review of the vaccine for distribution.
It’s unknown what the threat actors intend to do with the stolen information.
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