In a season when the world is racing to make and measure COVID-19 vaccines, a South Korean opposition lawmaker has said that his country's intelligence briefers told him North Korean hackers reached for vaccine and treatment secrets held by Pfizer. The claim, passed on from a closed-door session, leaves the important details unsettled: when the intrusion happened, and whether anything was taken. It arrives as part of a larger pattern, in which states quietly turn their attention toward the laboratories that hold the knowledge the rest of humanity is waiting for.
South Korean Lawmaker Says North Korean Hackers Targeted Pfizer's COVID Vaccine Data
Was Pfizer hacked? A lawmaker says yes; timing and success are unstated.
Mark
So what actually happened on Tuesday?
Mimi
A South Korean lawmaker, Ha Tae-keung, said after an intelligence briefing that North Korea tried to steal COVID vaccine and treatment information and that Pfizer was hacked.
Luke
Notice who is saying it. It's one opposition lawmaker relaying a briefing. The agency itself hasn't been quoted.
Mark
Does he say whether the hack worked?
Mimi
No. He didn't elaborate on timing or success.
Luke
Right, so "was hacked" is his phrasing, but we don't know what, if anything, was taken or when it happened.
Mark
Why would anyone believe it's plausible?
Mimi
Last year suspected North Korean hackers tried to get into at least nine healthcare firms, and pandemic-era espionage against drugmakers and vaccine scientists has surged generally.
Luke
Plausible isn't confirmed, though. The nine-firm figure is also described as suspected attribution, not proven.
Mark
What should a reader watch for next?
Mimi
A statement from Pfizer or the intelligence agency.
Luke
And specifics: dates, what systems were touched, and whether data left the building. None of that is in hand yet.
Der Puls
- A lawmaker's account of a closed-door intelligence briefing has pushed a claim of North Korean hacking against Pfizer's vaccine work into public view.
- The allegation lands on top of suspected North Korean intrusions last year into at least nine healthcare firms, raising alarm across the sector.
- Key facts are missing: the timing of the attempt and whether any data was actually stolen remain unknown.
- Neither Pfizer nor South Korea's intelligence agency has spoken on the record, so the story rests on a single secondhand source.
- Watchers are waiting for official confirmation from Pfizer or the intelligence agency to determine the breach's scope and outcome.
In a season when the world is racing to make and measure COVID-19 vaccines, a South Korean opposition lawmaker has said that his country's intelligence briefers told him North Korean hackers reached for vaccine and treatment secrets held by Pfizer. The claim, passed on from a closed-door session, leaves the important details unsettled: when the intrusion happened, and whether anything was taken. It arrives as part of a larger pattern, in which states quietly turn their attention toward the laboratories that hold the knowledge the rest of humanity is waiting for.
On Tuesday, a South Korean lawmaker told reporters that North Korea had tried to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment information by hacking Pfizer. He said he had learned this in a briefing from the country's intelligence agency, and his remarks were reviewed by Reuters.
The lawmaker, Ha Tae-keung, sits on the parliamentary intelligence panel. He said the attempts came during cyber attacks and that Pfizer was among the targets. But he did not say when the attempt occurred or whether it succeeded, so whether any data was actually taken remains unestablished. The account rests on his description of the briefing, not on any statement from the agency.
The claim echoes earlier events. Last year, suspected North Korean hackers tried to break into at least nine healthcare firms, and this report adds Pfizer to a growing list of suspected health-sector targets. It also reflects a wider surge in digital espionage against health bodies, vaccine scientists and drugmakers during the pandemic, as state-backed groups compete for the latest research.
For now, the central questions stay open. Neither Pfizer nor the intelligence agency is quoted in the account, and until one of them speaks, the timing, scope and outcome of the alleged breach are unknown.
On Tuesday, a South Korean lawmaker told reporters that North Korea had tried to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment information by hacking Pfizer. He said he had learned this in a briefing from the country's intelligence agency.
The lawmaker is Ha Tae-keung, an opposition member of the parliamentary intelligence panel. Speaking after the closed-door session, he said the attempts to steal vaccine and treatment technology came during cyber attacks, and that Pfizer was hacked. A transcript of his remarks was reviewed by Reuters.
The claim is narrower than it may sound. Ha did not say when the attempt took place, and he did not say whether it succeeded. Whether any data was actually taken from the pharmaceutical company is not established in what he said. The account rests on one lawmaker's description of what the intelligence agency told him, not on a statement from the agency itself.
The report fits a pattern. Last year, suspected North Korean hackers tried to break into the systems of at least nine healthcare firms. That earlier effort is the backdrop to Tuesday's news, and the Pfizer claim extends a list of suspected targets in the health sector.
It also fits a wider trend. Digital espionage aimed at health bodies, vaccine scientists and drugmakers has surged during the pandemic. State-backed hacking groups have been racing to get hold of the latest research and information about the outbreak, and companies working on vaccines and treatments hold exactly the material those groups want.
What remains missing is confirmation from the parties most directly involved. Neither Pfizer nor South Korea's intelligence agency is quoted in the account of the briefing. Until one of them speaks, the timing, the scope and the outcome of the alleged breach remain open questions.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
There were attempts to steal COVID vaccine and treatment technology during cyber attacks and Pfizer was hacked.— Ha Tae-keung, opposition member of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence panel
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei National Post ↗
Health & Medicine