The UK has called for an end to irresponsible cyber attacks by the Russian Intelligence Services, who have been collecting information on vaccine development and research into the COVID-19 virus. This follows a joint advisory by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the US and Canada on how to protect against these attacks.

Here is a statement from John Hultquist, senior director of intelligence analysis for Mandiant Threat Intelligence, FireEye.

COVID-19 is an existential threat to every government in the world, so it’s no surprise that cyber espionage capabilities are being used to gather intelligence on a cure. The organizations developing vaccines and treatments for the virus are being heavily targeted by Russian, Iranian, and Chinese actors seeking a leg up on their own research. We’ve also seen significant COVID-related targeting of governments that began as early as January.

Despite involvement in several high-profile incidents, APT29 rarely receives the same attention as other Russian actors because they tend to quietly focus on intelligence collection. Whereas GRU actors have brazenly leaked documents and carried out destructive attacks, APT29 digs in for the long term, siphoning intelligence away from its target. – John Hultquist, senior director of intelligence analysis for Mandiant Threat Intelligence, FireEye