Chinese hackers target Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech: Report

Police personnel walk outside the Serum Institute of India in Pune. Pic/AFP

Chinese and Russian-linked hacking campaigns in recent weeks targeted Indian vaccine makers Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech, cyber intelligence and threat discovery platform Cyfirma said on Monday. Both SII and Bharat Biotech are involved in producing Covid-19 vaccine.

Moreover, Cyfirma added that hacking campaigns believed to be originating from North Korean targeted yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali group. The Singapore/Japan-based Cyfirma, backed by Goldman Sachs and Z3 Partners with large operations in Bangaluru recently launched a report titled "Threat Landscape for Pharmaceutical Companies".

They uncovered cyber attack campaigns originating from Russia, China, North Korea, and the Middle East targeting 12 countries including India to steal Covid vaccine research data, patient info, clinical trials data, supply chain and vaccine production information. The target companies are the top pharma companies in India, the US, the UK, Japan, Australia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Taiwan and Mexico.

As per the report, currently, there are 15 active hacking campaigns underway. "The Covid-19 pandemic is also known as the big reset where the way we work, play and live have seen a massive paradigm shift," said in the report.

"The healthcare industry, and particularly, pharmaceutical companies, has been thrust directly under global spotlight. While the world stumbles in its search for recovery, cybercriminals lurking in the dark web have seized the global event to profit from the climate of fear and uncertainty," it added.

Among the motives behind the campaigns are exfiltration of sensitive personal, clinical trial information, health care report, customer information, medical product information for geopolitical and financial gain, said the report.

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