Cyberattackers attempting to disrupt distribution of COVID-19 vaccine

Cyber hackers are now attacking the companies and government organizations behind the COVID-19 vaccines.

With a vaccine expected soon, there are warnings that foreign adversaries, such as Russia and North Korea, may conduct a cyber attack.

One likely scenario, is a phishing attack, to get an employee at a pharmaceutical company or government worker to click on an email and unknowingly download malware.

Senior VP John Benkert with Cignet Technology explained, “You’ve got bad guys just being bad guys that just want the notoriety of doing something like this, but then you’ve also got foreign intelligence agencies, foreign countries that may want to stop the rollout.”

He said the reasons could vary, and stopping the rollout could continue to hurt the U.S. economy, which is just one of several potential reasons.

Interestingly, since the vaccine has to be kept cold, researchers think the attack could be against the infrastructure required to keep it cold throughout the process.

Benkert added agencies like the FBI, NSA and DHS are working to protect against something like that from happening.

People involved throughout the distribution chain will have to remain sharp and vigilant to make sure they don’t give hackers access to their systems.

RESOURCES

• IBM Uncovers Global Phishing Campaign Targeting the COVID-19 Vaccine Cold Chain
• IBM Releases Report on Cyber Actors Targeting the COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain
• What is Spoofing and Phishing?
• Ransomware guidance and resources from CISA
• HHS Fact Sheet: Explaining Operation Warp Speed