SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea’s intelligence agency has said North Korea tried to steal information regarding coronavirus vaccines and treatments by hacking Pfizer Inc, a lawmaker briefed by the agency said on Tuesday.
Digital espionage attacking health bodies, vaccine scientists and drugmakers has increased during the COVID pandemic as state-backed hacking groups are giving their best to secure the latest research and information about the outbreak.
Ha Tae-keung, an opposition member of the parliamentary intelligence panel, said Pfizer was among those hacked, as part of their attempt to steal information on vaccines and treatments.
He said, “There were attempts to steal COVID vaccine and treatment technology during cyber attacks and Pfizer was hacked.”
Speaking to reporters after a briefing by the agency, Ha did not elaborate on the timing or whether the attempt was successful, a transcript of his remarks reviewed showed.
Ha’s office confirmed his comments but gave no details.
Pfizer’s offices in Asia and South Korea did not have an immediate comment.
North Korean hackers had tried to break into the systems of at least nine healthcare firms, such as Johnson & Johnson, Novavax Inc, and AstraZeneca last year.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has said it had prevented attempts by its neighbour to get details of South Korean firms developing coronavirus vaccines.
Health experts have said the North’s hackers’ interest must be more in selling the stolen data than using it to develop a homegrown vaccine.
North Korea is expected to receive nearly 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine by the first half of this year through the COVAX vaccine-sharing programme.