US, UK, Canada accuse Russia of hacking COVID-19 vaccine trials

Three major countries US, UK and Canada alleged that hackers backed by the Russian government are attempting to steal information from researchers and pharmaceutical companies racing to find COVID-19 vaccines

The alleged culprit is a familiar foe. The allegation was recorded in a 16-page advisory by various intelligence agencies in US , UK and Canada

Intelligence agencies in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada say the hacking group APT29, also known as Cozy Bear, is attacking academic and pharmaceutical research institutions involved in COVID-19 vaccine development. The same group was accused for the hacking of Democratic email accounts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The malware, called WellMess and WellMail, has not previously been associated with the hacking group, the advisory said

It was unclear whether any useful information was stolen. But British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, “It is completely unacceptable that the Russian Intelligence Services are targeting those working to combat the coronavirus pandemic.”

He accused the Kremlin of pursuing “selfish interests with reckless behavior.”

Russian President Vladmir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitrov Peskov, rejected the accusations saying that the government doesn’t possess information about the hacking. Ironically the relationship of Russia with the US and UK has been plummeting due to various disagreements.

Meanwhile Russia has claimed that human trials of their covid-19 vaccine were successful.