US Report on Theft of Vaccine and Health Data
Date: May 12, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch / Agency: CSIS
Issue: A May 10, 2020 New York Times article reports that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security are preparing to issue a warning that China is seeking valuable intellectual property and public health data through theft, including hacking and theft by researchers and students inside academic and private laboratories.
Proposed Response:
- CSIS has a duty, mandated by Parliament, to investigate threats to the security of Canada, including threats to our economic security.
- CSIS investigates a range of threats related to the transfer or misuse of information and intellectual property.
- The Director of CSIS has spoken publicly about the attractive target that Canadian companies and research institutions represent for foreign actors or intelligence services seeking access to leading edge research to further their own interests.
- CSIS routinely engages with a variety of stakeholders – across the Government, the private sector and research institutions – on national security issues relevant to them, when necessary.
- (To that end, CSIS is engaging with the biopharmaceutical and healthcare sectors to ensure they are aware of the threat environment and have the tools they need to protect themselves.)
- We recognize that the global pandemic creates environments that threat actors seek to exploit in order to advance their own interests, including through espionage.
- CSIS is constantly working to investigate threats to national security to advise Government, and, as appropriate, take measures to reduce these threats, in close cooperation with Canadian and international partners.
Background:
A May 10, 2020 New York Times article claims the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Homeland Security are preparing to issue a public warning that Chinese hackers and spies are working to steal American research linked to efforts to develop vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus. Information targeted allegedly includes “valuable intellectual property and public health data (…) related to vaccines, treatments and testing.” The warning will allegedly focus on cyber theft as well as the threat posed by researchers and students stealing data from inside academic or private US laboratories, according to the New York Times.
The article notes this development also comes amidst an increase in nation state-directed cyberattacks seeking to take advantage of the ongoing pandemic.
The Times article claims Iranian hackers have been caught trying to gain access to Gilead Sciences, the maker of remdesivir, a therapeutic drug recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for clinical trials to treat coronavirus. Israeli officials also recently accused Iran of mounting an attack in late April to cripple Israel’s water supplies. Finally, the article includes claims from unnamed security experts that South Korean hackers have targeted the World Health Organization (WHO) and officials in North Korea, Japan and the United States, likely as part of a broad effort to gather intelligence on coronavirus containment and treatment.
Contacts:
Prepared by: N/A
Approved by: [REDACTED]
- Date modified: