Microsoft Says Russia, North Korea Trying to Hack Vaccine Data

Friday, Microsoft said it has detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers trying to steal data from health care organizations researching COVID-19 vaccines.

In recent months, Microsoft found cyberattacks from three nation-state actors targeting seven prominent researching vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. Vaccine researchers in the United States, Canada, France, India, and South Korea were among the targets.

Strontium, a Russian actor, and Zinc and Cerium, two actors originating from North Korea, were the three attackers found attempting to exfiltrate important research data.




Zinc primarily uses spear-phishing lures for credential theft, which sends messages with fabricated job descriptions pretending to be recruiters. Cerium attackers are posing as representatives of the World Health Organization. Strontium, on the other hand, uses password spray and brute force login attempts to steal login credentials.

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Bobby Burack is a writer for OutKick where he reports and analyzes the latest topics in media, culture, sports, and politics.. Burack has become a prominent voice in media and has been featured on several shows across OutKick and industry related podcasts and radio stations.