Cyber Intel Report | April 2021
Australia & New Zealand
Healthcare Industry Threat Report
Increase in Vaccine Supply Chain Attacks
The latest pandemic-influenced trend in attacks on the healthcare sector emerged in the last quarter of 2020, when adversaries launched targeted intrusions on entire vaccine supply chains. Consequently, it is not only healthcare facilities that are at risk but also government regulatory bodies and affiliated logistics providers involved in vaccine transportation and delivery. Both financially motivated cyber criminals and state-sponsored groups interested in intelligence collection were observed targeting the vaccine supply chain . The trend has so far manifested in geographies such as Europe and North America, where vaccine distribution is well underway. We anticipate similar activity on Australian and New Zealand companies involved in the vaccine supply chain will increase following the start of mass distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Q2 2020.
Manufacturer
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Fareva hacked
Fareva group was preparing to package a COVID-19 vaccine created by a German laboratory CureVac when it experienced a cyber attack. According to public reports, production was brought to a halt and employees were placed on indefinite forced leave.
Regulatory Bodies
Attackers Leak Stolen Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Data
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) was likely compromised by hacktivists who leaked some of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine data stolen from its servers in December.
Logistics Providers
Temperature-controlled warehouse provider Americold suffers a cyber attack
Americold, a temperature-controlled warehouse operator was forced to shut down its computer systems following a cyber attack. Shortly beforehand, public reports emerged that Chicago Rockford Airport was seeking to partner with Americold for storing COVID-19 vaccines.
Hospitals
U.S.-based hospitals hit in a massive ransomware attack
Ryuk ransomware hit six hospitals in the US over a 24-hour period beginning October 26. The US government noted a list of 400 targeted hospitals had been circulated amongst Russian hackers.
Points of Distribution
Vaccine scams on darkweb following vaccine approval announcements
Multiple criminals on the darkweb have been listing the “Pzifer COVID vaccine” for sale following the UK’s announcement of a vaccine rollout to the public. The vaccines are advertised for up to USD$1,300 and vendors promise global delivery.
1 https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/apac/north-korea-tried-hack-pfizer-vaccine-data-reports-say
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Healthcare Industry Threat Report as part of a suite of periodic industry-specific reports. These reports present focused and highly contextualised information that are intended to be used by organisational decision makers.
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