North Korea attempted to hack Pfizer for coronavirus vaccine information

By Grant B.

The North Korean government has been accused of trying to hack Pfizer’s computer system to get access to their covid vaccine information. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service member Ha Tae-keung briefed that, “North Korea tried to obtain technology involving the Covid vaccine and treatment by using cyberwarfare to hack into Pfizer." North Korea is known for hacking, which makes this accusation not surprising. Experts say those responsible were North Korean groups named Zinc and Cerium. U.N. security experts recently found that North Korea has stolen about 316 million dollars to improve its missile and nuclear arsonal. Other cyber warfare attacks from North Korea include a 2013 attack that impacted the servers of South Korean financial institutions, the 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures, and the WannaCry malware attack of 2017.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un still insists that no one in his country has had Covid-19 although outside experts doubt that. In January last year, North Korea shut down its border and have been in self imposed isolation ever since. This was an attempt to protect themselves from Covid-19 from neighboring China, where the virus originated. This closure has put pressure on the North Korean economy which is already struggling from international sanctions due to North Korea's banned weapons system. This has put pressure on the North Korean government to get the Coronavirus under control so it can reignite its economy. This might raise an answer to the question of why North Korea would want to steal information on the vaccine, especially when Pfizer alone is expected to send out 2 billion vaccines this year. North Korea might be attempting to steal information to help boost their struggling economy.



Covid-19 Vaccine

Microsoft says not only is North Korea stealing information, but Russia has attempted to steal Covid vaccine information from many pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer. Experts say the group responsible was a Russian group nicknamed Fancy Bear. The Kremlin has denied hacking other countries' vaccine research for its own gain. While Microsoft says most of the attempts did not work, they warn that some had been successful in obtaining information. While North Korea is a major leader in the hacking field, experts say since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, many countries have been deploying hackers for the Covid-19 crisis. Some have just been intelligence gathering, but others have been theft of sensitive information used for personal gain.




Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

When thinking about the Coronavirus, not many people immediately think of the hacking aspect of the pandemic, but it has been a huge part of it. Many countries throughout the world have been using hackers to try to steal information about vaccines to use for their own personal use. Hacking is in its own field when thinking about problems the coronavirus has caused, but it definitely should not take a backseat. The US and Pfizer need to make sure powerful countries like North Korea and Russia do not steal information about the Covid-19 vaccine. In the wrong hands, leaders will use that power to their advantage by either withholding the vaccine to get extra money or just to gain more power over other countries. Whatever the reason, the US needs to keep a close eye on hacking and make sure that it keeps it Covid-19 vaccine information secure.

References

North Korea accused of hacking Pfizer FOR COVID-19 Vaccine data. (2021, February 16). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56084575

CBS News. (2021, February 16). North Korea tried to hack Pfizer For COVID VACCINE information, South's spy agency said to have reported. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-pfizer-covid-vaccine-hack/

Aaro, D. (2021, February 16). North Korea attempted to hack Pfizer for Coronavirus vaccine information: Report. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-attempted-to-hack-pfizer-for-coronavirus-vaccine-information-report

France-Presse, A. (2020, November 09). Covid vaccine 90% effective in Phase 3 TRIAL, Says Pfizer. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/vaccine-90-effective-in-preventing-covid-in-latest-trial-says-pfizer-2322812


Afp. (2021, February 14). Putin accuses west of Using Navalny to 'Contain' Russia. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/02/14/putin-accuses-west-of-using-navalny-to-contain-russia-a72930