North Korea reportedly tried to steal COVID-19 vaccine technology from Pfizer

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 16 February 2021

North Korea has attempted to hack Pfizer and steal COVID-19 vaccine technology, according to South Korean officials.

These findings by South Korea's National Intelligence Service were disclosed to lawmakers during a National Assembly's intelligence committee hearing this week, with lawmaker Ha Tae-keung telling reporters, "The cyberattacks included an attempt to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment technology, to which Pfizer was subject," The Washington Post reports. It reportedly wasn't clear whether the attempt was successful.

This comes after Microsoft revealed in November that North Korean and Russian hackers had targeted "seven prominent companies directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for COVID-19," including pharmaceutical companies. The "majority of these attacks were blocked," Microsoft said. Pfizer and BioNTech developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines that was approved last year for emergency use in the United States.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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