Microsoft: Russian, North Korean hackers target vaccine work
Boston: Microsoft said it has detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers to steal valuable data from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers.
It said in a blogpost Friday that most of the attacks in recent months were unsuccessful, but provided no information on how many succeeded or how serious those breaches were.
Chinese state-backed hackers have also been targeting vaccine-makers, the U.S. government said in July while announcing criminal charges.
Microsoft said most of the targets located in Canada, France, India, South Korea, and the United States were directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. It did not name the targets but said most had vaccine candidates in various stages of clinical trials.
The company identified one of the state-backed hacker groups like Fancy Bear, the Russian military agents who Britain's National Cyber Security Center said in July were behind such intrusion attempts. Two others were North Korea's Lazarus Group and a group Microsoft calls Cerium.
Most of the break-in efforts involved attempts to steal the login credentials of people associated with the targeted organizations. The Lazarus Group posed as job recruiters while Cerium targeted spear-phishing emails that masqueraded as missives from World Health Organization representatives, Microsoft said.
The blog post coincided with an appearance by Microsoft president Brad Smith at an international forum calling on nations to protect health care facilities from cyberattacks. This year, the Paris Peace Forum is taking place online.
Optimism about a COVID-19 vaccine has grown since pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced earlier this week that preliminary data showed its vaccine to be 90 percent effective.
At the same time, coronavirus cases are surging. In the U.S., deaths per day have soared more than 40 percent over the past two weeks to an average of more than 1,100, the highest level in three months.
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NDA's win in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation watershed moment in Kerala politics: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday termed the mandate received by the BJP-led NDA in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation a "watershed moment" in Kerala's politics and expressed gratitude to the BJP workers for the "spectacular results".
The Left parties suffered a major setback in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, held by them for 45 years, as the BJP-led NDA surged ahead with a huge lead.
Reacting to the civic body results, the prime minister said it is a day to recall the work and struggles of generations of karyakartas (workers) in Kerala, who worked at the grassroots, which ensured today's result became a reality.
"Thank you Thiruvananthapuram! The mandate the BJP-NDA got in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is a watershed moment in Kerala's politics," he wrote on 'X'.
PM Modi said the people are certain that the development aspirations of Kerala can only be addressed by the BJP. "Our Party will work towards this vibrant city's growth and boost 'Ease of Living' for the people," he said with the hashtag #VikasitaThiruvananthapuram.
The prime minister said the BJP karyakartas are the strength of the party, and everyone is proud of them.
"My gratitude to all hardworking BJP karyakartas who have worked among the people, which has ensured a spectacular result in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation," he said.
