Russian hackers ‘tried to steal UK COVID-19 research’

Hackers working for the Russian intelligence services have tried to steal secret details of coronavirus research being carried out in United Kingdom laboratories including at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London, the UK government has warned, writes Nigel Morris for iNews.

The warning, issued jointly with the United States and Canadian governments, said the hacking was carried out by the same team accused of leaking embarrassing emails involving Democrats in advance of the US election in 2016, a group known variously as APT29, Cozy Bear and the Dukes. However, they do not appear to have taken any confidential information.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre warned all scientific and pharmaceutical organisations in Britain involved in research into COVID-19 about the threat and have provided advice on protecting computer systems from hacking. The techniques of attack include ‘spear-phishing’ or trying to acquire information via emails that appear genuine, and also installation of malware.
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