Synopsis
Goldman Sachs-backed Cyfirma, based in Singapore and Tokyo, said Chinese hacking group APT10, also known as Stone Panda, had identified gaps and vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure and supply chain software of Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine maker.
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Microsoft said in November that it had detected cyber attacks from Russia and North Korea targeting COVID-19 vaccine companies in India, Canada, France, South Korea and the United States. North Korean hackers also tried to break into the systems of British drugmaker AstraZeneca, Reuters has reported.
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A Chinese state-backed hacking group has in recent weeks targeted the IT systems of two Indian vaccine makers whose coronavirus shots are being used in the country's immunisation campaign, cyber intelligence firm Cyfirma told Reuters.
the united states and around the world. as with all american criminal charges, individual defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. this case is significant because the defendants are accused of targeting and compromising managet service providers or msps. they're firmed that are trusted to store, process, and protect commercial data, including intellectual property and other confidential business information. when hackers gain access to msps, they can steal sensitive business information that gives competitors an unfair advantage. the indictment alleges that the defendants worked for a group known to cybersecurity experts as apt-10. these groups are designated as apts or advanced persistent threats because they use malware to gain access to computer networks and to exfiltrate or
advanced persistent threat 10. it's not the only one. i think director wray can talk a bit about what the fbi does not only to prosecute perpetrators but to work with american businesses to try to deter and prevent these sorts of attacks. >> the one thing i would add to what the deputy attorney general just said is that in addition to these apt-10 groups, apt 1 through 9 or the apts of the future, we have lots and lots and lots of criminal hackers working in varying ways in coordination with and on behalf of nation states. it's what we call a blended threat. think of it as just outsourcing your criminal or espionage activity to mercenaries. china is not the only runt we we have seen do it, but people in this country and around the world need to understand that china is the most active and aggressive in this space. and so it's not just chinese officials with epaulets on their uniforms. these are state-owned
an extensive global hacking campaign. prosecutors say the hackers stole information from at least 45 u.s. tech companies and government agencies, including the united states navy and nasa. the hackers are also accused of operating in connection with the chinese government, yet another point of tension, as the u.s. and china continue to face off in this trade war, which is some of the reason why you're seeing this market sell-off. joining me now is nbc's benec ben collins. thanks for joining me on this. what do we think happened? >> there's apt-10, advanced per sif persistent threat. basically what they do is send out widespread phishing e-mails to various executives in the united states both in the government and outside the government. probably the scariest one, who shows you how simple it is and how smart it is. they sent one e-mail to a helicopter manufacturer that said antenna problems.