Russia, North Korea Targeted Covid Research With Cyber-Attacks

Hackers in Russia and North Korea have targeted seven “prominent” companies working on Covid-19 vaccine and treatment research, according to Microsoft Corp.

The cyber-attacks were conducted in recent months and targeted “leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers” in the U.S., Canada, France, India, and South Korea, according to a Friday blog post by the company, which said that “the majority of these attacks were blocked.” Microsoft didn’t identify the companies or researchers who were targeted.

Microsoft’s announcement represents the latest information about attempts by nation states to hack research related to medical efforts to fight the pandemic. This year, the ...