EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

As the world prepares for the largescale deployment of Covid-19 vaccines, hackers are turning their attention to the distribution supply chains around the world. Computer security researchers recently uncovered a global spearphishing campaign targeting organizations responsible for vaccine storage and transportation. The campaign has been linked to non-US based groups, however no substantial evidence pinpoints precisely which countries may be involved.

The first indications of this spearphishing campaign appeared in September.  What ties all the targeted organizations together is their association with a supply chain program operated by Gavi, an international organization that manages vaccines.

Companies in the energy, manufacturing, and software sectors have a found themselves targets of these hackers.  More likely than not, these cyber criminals are seeking to gain access to the internal communications belonging to the aforementioned industries. Internal emails and messages could reveal plans for vaccine distribution and describe who’s involved.

While the success of these spearphising campaigns has not yet been fully assessed, stolen information could be used to compromise login credentials for future access to companies’ corporate networks and more.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s chief strategist for healthcare noted the significance of this latest hack saying, “the report highlights the importance of cybersecurity diligence at each step in the vaccine supply chain.” He further urged, “all organizations involved in vaccine storage and transport to harden attack surfaces, particularly in cold storage operation, and remain vigilant against all activity in this space.”

To learn more about hackers targeting the Covid-19 vaccine, see this article from CyberScoop.