Hackers pounce on COVID-19 vaccine development
by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG – A CYBER security firm is wary of hackers making the most of the development of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines to perpetrate attacks.
Kaspersky Lab noted that recently, the main reason for attackers’ growing interest in medical research was the development of a vaccine against the pandemic.
The company projected that using medical and healthcare topics as bait would continue this year and remain relevant, at least until the end of the pandemic.
“In 2021, the efforts to steal COVID-19 research data would continue,” Kaspersky forecast.
It warned that on condition that the global healthcare community continued to fight the disease, any company that claimed significant success in the development of a vaccine would become a potential victim of targeted attacks.
However, according to the company, the focus on digital security in hospitals offers hope that in 2021, there would be more collaboration between cyber security experts, organisations and healthcare systems.
“Experience has shown that big crises, like the pandemic, push organisations to pay more attention to protecting their infrastructure.”
The development of a vaccine is seen as the biggest weapon against COVID-19, which at the time of publication had claimed over 2 million lives from 97,4 million cases globally.
In Africa, there have been 81 873 deaths from 3,354 million cases.
South Africa has the worst caseload, with 38 854 deaths out of 1,369 million cases.
Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana, the South African-based global markets expert, noted the number of active cases had more than doubled internationally in less than three months.
She also mentioned a similar trajectory in death rates, which have increased by 75 percent.
“We are desperate for some respite, scouring the globe for success stories,” Ramkhelawan-Bhana stated.
– CAJ News
