Officials warn of hackers targeting COVID-19 research groups

 The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cyber agency on Wednesday warned that Chinese government-backed hackers are targeting U.S. organizations developing vaccines and treatments for the COVID-19 virus.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI said in the joint alert that the agencies hoped to “raise awareness” of threats posed to research groups by Chinese malicious actors.

“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 agencies warned. “The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options.”

The agencies recommended that organizations conducting research into COVID-19 automatically assume they will be a major target of hackers, and that they increase cybersecurity. Tips included using multifactor authorization for accounts and patching vulnerabilities as quickly as possible.

“The FBI and CISA urge all organizations conducting research in these areas to maintain dedicated cybersecurity and insider threat practices to prevent surreptitious review or theft of COVID-19-related material,” the agencies wrote.

Some key leaders on Capitol Hill have pushed for action to be taken to push back against Chinese cyberattacks.