The Trump administration is pointing the finger at China for attempting to steal coronavirus research as officials are warning they have seen a growing wave of cyberattacks on US government agencies and medical institutions leading the pandemic response by nation states and criminal groups.
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Hospitals, research laboratories, health care providers and pharmaceutical companies have all been hit, officials say, and the Department of Health and Human Services – which oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — has been struck by a surge of daily strikes, an official with direct knowledge of the attacks said.
“It is safe to say that there are only two places in the world that could hit (the Department of Health and Human Services) the way it’s been hit,” the official familiar with the attacks told CNN.
The primary culprits for the HHS attacks are Russia and China, the official said, because of the size and scope of the actions. After some hesitance to attribute the wide-ranging attacks across the medical sector to any specific countries — whether for political reasons or a lack of certainty — top national security officials have decided to single out China.
The Department of Justice now says they are particularly concerned about attacks by Chinese hackers targeting US hospitals and labs to steal research related to coronavirus.
Despite caution tape blocking off a seating section, people still sit down to enjoy a spring afternoon at Brooklyn’s Coney Island, on April 25, in New York City.
Turkish citizens stand in line as they check in for a Turkish Airlines flight during their evacuation, at Washington Dulles International Airport, on April 25.
Protestors gather outside the Louisiana state capitol during a rally against Louisiana’s stay-at-home order and economic shutdown, on April 25, in Baton Rouge.
Vehicles line up to receive food during a donation drive by World Central Kitchen in the parking lot of the Camden Yards Sports Complex, on April 25, in Baltimore, Maryland. World Central Kitchen conducted its food relief operation to help relieve food insecurity faced by the city’s vulnerable communities, at the request of Governor Larry Hogan.
Health care workers wearing scrubs and face masks watch as protesters hold an “Open Texas” rally at the Texas State Capitol, on April 25, in Austin.
A person in a mask walks through the glass and steel structure called the Oculus, which serves as the World Trade Center Station, a transportation hub in the heart of the 9-11 Ground Zero, in New York City, on April 25.
President Donald Trump participates in a signing ceremony for H.R.266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, with members of his administration and Republican lawmakers in the White House in Washington D.C., on April 24.
A sign that reads “Ramadan Kareem” is seen near the front entrance of the Masjid Al-Salaam mosque and Dearborn Community Center on the first full day of Ramadan on April 24 in Dearborn, Michigan.
Healthcare workers react to the applause at Brooklyn’s Kings County Hospital Center at a 7 o’clock ceremony during the coronavirus pandemic on April 24 in New York.
The video feed on a baby monitor displays the interior of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient’s room in the COVID ICU at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington on April 24.
A woman is given a rose after receiving a rapid, point of care pinprick coronavirus (COVID-19) IgM and IgG antibodies test at a myCovidMD free testing center for under and uninsured people, founded by three black women doctors in Los Angeles, California on April 24.
Theo McDaniel, who goes by the name Kutty, tattoos a customer’s arm at Black Ink Atlanta during the phased reopening of businesses and restaurants following the relaxing of restrictions due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Atlanta, Georgia on April 24.
State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, center, delivers a box of face masks to the Otay Mesa Detention Center on April 24 in San Diego, California.
Tim Bailey prepares to drive a remote-controlled model of the novel coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, during a protest against the state’s extended stay-at-home order to help slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin on April 24.
Doris V. Amen, the owner of the Jurek-Park Slope Funeral Home in Brooklyn and a worker from the South Brooklyn Casket Co. load a casket into her 1978 Superior Classic Cadillac hearse for funerals during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, New York on April 24.
Cela Stanley has her hair blown dry and styled by Sloane Kirkman at Three-13 Salon, Spa and Boutique, during the phased reopening of businesses and restaurants from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in the state in Marietta, Georgia on April 24.
A COVID-19 specimen collection kit is prepared by personnel of the District of Columbia COVID-19 testing site in United Medical Center’s parking lot in Washington D.C., on April 24.
Post-it notes for first responders are posted on the wall of the Anderson Mall during the coronavirus pandemic, on April 24, in Anderson, South Carolina.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center shortly before President Trump signed an additional COVID-19 relief package on April 24.
An airline arrival and departure board shows several canceled flights at the Tampa International Airport on April 24, in Tampa, Florida. Business at the airport has been at a near standstill due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Chains separating the back half of a public bus from the driver’s space hang to protect MTA bus drivers from COVID-19 exposure on April 24, in New York.
Food Bank for New York City volunteers hand out packages at a mobile food pantry during the coronavirus pandemic at Barclays Center on April 24, in New York.
Marietta Theater In The Square’s marquee displays “Be Safe, Stay Healthy” as the coronavirus pandemic continues on April 24, in Marietta, Georgia.
Protesters against the coronavirus shutdown rally in front of State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 24.
NFL superstar Vernon Davis (C) and restaurateurs Sahil Rahman (L) and Rahul Vinod (R), through a partnership between the Vernon Davis Foundation and RASA Restaurant, help to prepare free meals for frontline healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic at the George Washington University Hospital on April 24, in Washington, D.C.
People walk around Times Square as some screens are illuminated in blue as part of the “Light It Blue” initiative to honor healthcare workers, in New York City, on April 23.
In this image from video, the vote on approving the almost $500 billion coronavirus package is displayed on the floor of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on April 23.
A healthcare worker waits to administer a test at a drive-thru testing site in Providence, Rhode Island, on April 23.
Raelene Critchlow, receives a visit from her granddaughter Maddie Carter, and great-grandchildren Beckett, Levi, and Camille, at Creekside Senior Living, on April 23, in Bountiful, Utah. Window visits help seniors connect to families despite coronavirus restrictions.
Empty streets are seen in front of the closed Chicago Board of Trade, in Chicago, Illinois, on April 23.
A healthcare worker writes “cute dimples” on a sign as a firefighter appears at her window during a parade of thanks at UCLA hospital, in California, on April 23.
Arfa Yousuf gives her martial arts instructors a thumbs-up during a belt test at her home in Richardson, Texas, on April 23.
A bust of President Abraham Lincoln is visible behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as she arrives on Capitol Hill on April 23 in Washington D.C.
A sign asking for financial aid is displayed at Michigan Avenue during the coronavirus pandemic on April 23 in Chicago, Illinois.
Yen Vo, the co-owner of Madam Vo, fills containers with food to donate to a hospital on April 23 in New York City.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Woody Myers takes a COVID-19 test at Aria Diagnostics in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 23.
A girl holds a sign while driving past the state capitol building with her dad as demonstrators demand that businesses be allowed to open up, people allowed to work, and lives returned to normal on April 23 in Topeka, Kansas. The protest was part of a growing national movement against stay-at-home orders designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Sgt. Gabrielle Babbitt organizes boxes of food at a Cleveland Food Bank distribution area on April 23 in Cleveland.
A sign thanking the first responders is displayed at Michigan Avenue which remains mostly dormant due to the spread of coronavirus on April 23 in Chicago, Illinois.
A woman walks through an almost-deserted Times Square in the early morning hours on April 23 in New York City.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Max Rose wear face masks as they walk down the House steps of the Capitol before the House vote on the $483.4 billion economic relief package on April 23 in Washington D.C.
A man wearing a mask takes part in a vigil outside Queensboro Correctional Facility on April 23 in New York City.
Hotel room lights in the shape of a heart on the side of the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District during the pandemic on April 22, in New York City.
UNLV School of Nursing assistant professor Dr. Rhigel Jay Tan, a licensed nurse practitioner in psychiatric mental health, makes custom-made face shields called “iCareFaceShields” at his home for health care workers amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 22, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The USNS Comfort is docked at Pier 90 on Manhattan’s West Side in the Hudson River, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in New York City, as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey, on April 22.
Phlebotomist Sabrina Famiglietti, center, has Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez, left, and wife Rita, right, look over information as they prepare to donate blood aboard a OneBlood blood donation bus, on April 22, in Miami.
Damon March, Chief Operating Officer for Huamne Pennsylvania, holds a sign asking people in their cars how many cats they have, so that they can be given the appropriate amount of pet food at the Spike’s Pet Pantry location in Douglassville, on April 22.
A man waves an American flag in support of all essential workers during the pandemic on April 22, in New York City.
Volunteers from the First Baptist Church of Plant City distribute food donated by the church, Feeding Tampa Bay and One More Child on April 22 in Plant City, Florida.
Nurses from Central Vermont Medical Center stand on the Statehouse lawn on April 22, 2020, in Montpelier, Vermont to counter a protest by a small group against Vermont’s stay-at-home order.
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“It’s certainly the logical conclusion of everything I’ve said,” John Demers, the head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said when asked specifically about China’s actions during an online discussion Thursday on Chinese economic espionage hosted by Strategic News Service. “We are very attuned to increased cyber intrusions into medical centers, research centers, universities, anybody that is doing research in this area.”
“There is nothing more valuable today than biomedical research relating to vaccines for treatments for the coronavirus,” Demers said. “It’s of great importance not just from a commercial value but whatever countries, company or research lab develops that vaccine first and is able to produce it is going to have a significant geopolitical success story.”
Calling out China
Cyber espionage from China against the United States has spiked in the months since the outbreak of the virus. Last month, leading cybersecurity group FireEye reported that Chinese group APT41 has carried out “one of the broadest campaigns by a Chinese cyber espionage actor we have observed in recent years.”
On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — who has been consistently attacking China over the pandemic — told Fox News, “The biggest threat isn’t our ability to work with China on cyber, it’s to make sure we have the resources available to protect ourselves from Chinese cyberattacks.”
CNN has asked the Chinese embassy in Washington for comment on the allegations.
The uptick in activity targeting HHS and the wider medical sector is part of a broader cyber campaign being carried out by groups linked to a number of countries in addition to China, including Russia, Iran and North Korea. The four make up a quartet regularly accused by the US national security community of being the most complex and active actors against the US.
During the coronavirus crisis, attacks from nation states and criminal groups have come in a multitude of forms with numerous different goals: posing as US agency or authority with phishing emails to steal data and information, denial of service, ransomware attacks and disinformation, among others, both on the open internet and darknet.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opening to nefarious actors and cyber criminals,” a senior Trump administration official told CNN. While under attack itself, HHS, along with the cyber arm of the Department of Homeland Security, CISA, has worked to step up the defenses of those pandemic-related organizations, the official added.
The Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Bill Evanina, who has led the US intelligence community’s battle against Chinese industrial and academic spying and theft of intellectual property, has also warned that critical research for Covid-19 vaccines risks being stolen and replicated overseas.
“Medical research organizations and those who work for them should be vigilant against threat actors seeking to steal intellectual property or other sensitive data related to America’s response to the COVID19 pandemic,” Evanina told CNN.
‘They are trying to steal everything’
But despite an overwhelming consensus that these attacks are occurring at an increasingly high tempo and near universal agreement over the primary state actors, US officials have been careful in assigning blame for specific actions.
“If there was that degree of confidence, you’d see more definite language,” said an official from a country that shares intelligence with the US. “That’s not what we’re being told.”
Arising from the new wave of threats is the Cyber Threat Intelligence League, a global group of more than 1,400 vetted cyber security experts that have volunteered and banded together to highlight and take down threats as they emerge.
The CTI League, which is working with US authorities and put out its first report this week, says the threat actors from the four nation states that traditionally target the US are now focusing on — and taking advantage of – the pandemic.
“They are trying to steal everything,” Ohad Zaidenberg, one of the group’s co-founders who is based in Israel, said of the landscape of actors. Countries like China and Iran, he added, “can steal information regarding the coronavirus information that they don’t have, (if) they believe someone is creating a vaccine and they want to steal information about it. Or they can use the pandemic as leverage so they (can) to steal any other type of information.
This slideshow has a combination of pictures showing before and after the set up of strict nationwide lockdowns seeking to halt the spread of the COVID-19 infection caused by novel coronavirus.
(Pictured) Tokyo, Japan
Top: Visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus looking at blooming cherry blossoms, March 22, 2020.
Bottom: The same place after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus from spreading, on March 28, 2020, at Ueno park.
Budapest, Hungary
Top: The ‘Chain Bridge’, illuminated by white lights in honor the efforts the health care staff against the new coronavirus.
Bottom: The ‘Chain Bridge’ after the city lights were switched off to mark the annual Earth Hour event, on March 28, 2020. Lights went off in thousands of cities and towns across the world for the annual Earth Hour campaign, aiming to call for action on climate change.
Berlin, Germany
Top: People are seen walking at the East Side Gallery, on March 13, 2020.
Bottom: The East Side Gallery after Germany implemented drastic restrictions on public and social life, as the country tackles the coronavirus pandemic, on March 27, 2020.
Manama, Bahrain
Top: People are at shops, following the outbreak of coronavirus, on March 23, 2020.
Bottom: Shops are closed, as government restrictions were introduced following the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease, on March 27, 2020.
Lagos, Nigeria
Top: People shopping at a market, March 5, 2020.
Bottom: The market seen closed during lockdown by the authorities to limit the spreading of coronavirus disease, on March 27, 2020.
Damascus, Syria
Top: People walking past shops, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: The shops closed as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease, on March 26, 2020.
Karachi, Pakistan
Top: The Cantonment railway station, on March 15, 2020.
Bottom: The same placce, during a partial lockdown after Pakistan shut all markets, public places and discouraged large gatherings amid an outbreak of coronavirus, on March 25, 2020.
Algiers, Algeria
Top: A street in downtown Algiers, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: The same street, after the coronavirus outbreak, on March 25, 2020.
Tunis, Tunisia
Top: People passing by the clock tower at the end of Avenue Habib Bourguiba, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: A deserted square around the same clock tower, following the coronavirus outbreak, on March 25, 2020.
Tokyo, Japan
Left:: An electronic 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games countdown clock on March 24, 2020 showing remaining days to the opening ceremony before the postponement announcement.
Right: The clock on early March 25 after the announcement showing today’s date instead of the countdown days (R) outside Tokyo Station.
Japan on March 25 started the unprecedented task of reorganising the Tokyo Olympics after the historic decision to postpone the world’s biggest sporting event due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that has locked down one third of the planet.
Kolkata, India
Top: People crossing a road at the Esplanade junction with the Metropolitan Building in the background, on March 21, 2020.
Bottom: The same junction deserted during a one-day nationwide Janata (civil) curfew imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus on March 22, 2020.
Wellington, New Zealand
Top: Visitors admiring a lantern festival by the sea on Feb. 14, 2020.
Bottom: The empty seaside on March 22, 2020.
New Zealand reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 66. The country is at COVID-19 alert level two.
Hebron, Palestine
Top: A views of the area of Bab al-Zawiya (Mahmoud Abbas Square), on March 22, 2020.
Bottom: A views on March 23, 2020, a day after the implementation of a “mandatory quarantine” announced by the Palestinian Authority as parts of efforts to contain COVID-19 coronavirus disease.
The Palestinian Authority on March 22 imposed a two-week ban on all non-essential movements to curb the spread of COVID-19, as the number of confirmed cases in the occupied West Bank hit 57.
Casablanca, Morocco
Top: A photo of the center of the city, before the coronavirus outbreak, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: A photo of the center of the city, after the coronavirus outbreak, on March 20, 2020.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Top: People looking at Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on March 11, 2020.
Bottom: The Burj Khalifa, seen mostly deserted, amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, on March 23, 2020.
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Top: A general view of the Ladeira Porto Geral, a popular shopping street before the state government imposed a lockdown to face the outbreak of coronavirus, on March 16, 2020.
Bottom: The same place after the state government imposed a lockdown to face the outbreak of coronavirus, on March 24, 2020.
Cape Town, South Africa
Top: People gathering as dusk falls in the popular Waterfront district, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: View of same site, now empty, shortly before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus, on March 23, 2020.
Ahmedabad, India
Top: Traffic moving along roads, on March 20, 2020.
Bottom: The same road, after India launched a 14-hour long curfew to limit the spreading of coronavirus in the country, on March 22, 2020.
Algiers, Algeria
Top: People at a bus station, on March 10, 2020.
Bottom: Bus station after the coronavirus outbreak, on March 22, 2020.
Ronda, Spain
Top: People siting at the terrace of a bar at a square, on Aug. 22, 2019.
Bottom: An empty square during partial lockdown as part of a 15-day state of emergency to combat the coronavirus outbreak, on March 22, 2020.
Bangalore, India
Top: Vehicles moving slowly on a road, on Feb. 5, 2020.
Bottom: The same road deserted during a one-day nationwide Janata (civil) curfew, on March 22, 2020.
Bordeaux, France
Top: Sainte-Catherine street on March 14, 2020.
Bottom: Sainte-Catherine street on March 21, 2020.
Ashkelon, Israel
Top: Children playing on swings at the beach on March 16, 2020.
Bottom: Children playing on swings at the beach on March 17, 2020
Israel took stringent steps to contain the coronavirus.
Kolkata, India
Top: The historic Victoria Memorial monument on June 21, 2019.
Bottom: The historic Victoria Memorial monument after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention, on March 17, 2020.
Bangkok, Thailand
Top: Tourists wearing facemasks, amid concerns over the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, as they visit the Grand Palace on Jan. 29, 2020.
Bottom: The Grand Palace on March 2, 2020.
Milan, Italy
Top: A view of Piazza del Duomo and the cathedral on Feb. 3, 2020.
Bottom: A view after Italy imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people on March 10, 2020 to control the deadly coronavirus.
Beijing, China
Top: Tourists standing before a Chinese paramilitary policeman (C) in front of a portrait of late communist leader Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate on Sept. 20, 2019
Bottom: Tiananmen Gate after lockdown on March 6, 2020.
Beirut, Lebanon
Top: People walking at Beirut’s seaside Corniche on March 15, 2020.
Bottom: The corniche seen empty after Lebanon declared a medical state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, on March 15, 2020
Shanghai, China
Top: People visiting the promenade on the Bund along the Huangpu River during the May Day holiday on May 1, 2019.
Bottom: People wearing facemasks, amid concerns of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, along the Bund on March 8, 2020.
Nuremberg, Germany
Top: The Tiergärtnertorplatz in front of a guesthouse, which is well visited from spring onward.
Bottom: The same place which remains empty due to restrictions because of the coronavirus for guesthouses on March 20, 2020.
Rome, Italy
Top: Tourists strolling by the Spanish Steps on Piazza di Spagna on August 14, 2017.
Bottom: The same place deserted on March 12, 2020, as Italy shut all stores except for pharmacies and food shops in a desperate bid to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Barcelona, Spain
Left:: A general view of Las Ramblas before the outbreak of coronavirus disease, on March 12, 2020.
Right: Image taken on March 18, 2020, during the outbreak.
Agra, India
Top: Tourists visiting the Taj Mahal on Jan. 3, 2018.
Bottom: The same view of Taj Mahal with low number of tourists taken on March 16, 2020, amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Cairo, Egypt
Top: School children lining up at start of the daily classes in Thamret Al Tawfiq School, on March 8, 2020.
Bottom: The school seen empty following government efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, on March 15, 2020.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Top: Visitors walking near the King Fahd Library, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: A general view showing the empty garden of the King Fahd Library, following the outbreak of coronavirus disease, on March 19, 2020.
Venice, Italy
Top: Tourists walk across St Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) by the Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) on Nov. 4, 2019.
Bottom: The same view of a deserted St. Mark’s Square on March 11, 2020.
Mosul, Iraq
Top: People shopping at the Nabi Younes market, on March 11, 2020.
Bottom: The empty market during a curfew imposed by Iraqi authorities, following the outbreak of coronavirus, on March 15, 2020.
Doha, Qatar
Top: Men in traditional costumes riding horses at Souq Waqif, following the outbreak of coronavirus, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: The Souq seen almost empty, amid concerns over the disease spread on March 17, 2020.
Ajmer, India
Top: Muslim devotees Offer Friday prayers at the Adhai-Din Ka Jhonpra mosque.
Bottom: The mosque, closed for visitors amid concerns over the spread of novel coronavirus, on March 18, 2020.
Jerusalem, Israel
Top: Visitors walking in an area near Jaffa Gate, on March 5, 2020.
Bottom: A view of the same area on March 18, 2020 as Israel takes stringent steps to contain the coronavirus.
Paris, France
Top: People continue to gather at Esplanade du Trocadero despite French Prime Minister Edward Philippe announcement that France would shut most shops, restaurants and entertainment facilities from midnight on March 14 to slow down the spread of the coronavirus on March 15, 2020.
Bottom: Empty Esplanade du Trocadero while a strict lockdown comes into in effect in France to stop the spread of coronavirus, on March 19, 2020.
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories
Top: Palestinian demonstrators gathering near the Israeli barrier, on Feb. 7, 2020.
Bottom: The same area seen empty of demonstrators amid concerns of the spread of the coronavirus disease, March 20, 2020.
Erbil, Iraq
Top: People walking near the castle in the old city of Erbil, Iraq March 13, 2020.
Bottom: A yard empty of people during a curfew imposed by Iraqi Kurdish authorities, following the outbreak of coronavirus, on March 14, 2020.
Cape Town, South Africa
Top: People praying outside a mosque during Friday prayers March 6, 2020.
Bottom: A view of same site, now empty, as Friday prayers were suspended in mosques to prevent the spread of coronavirus, on March 20, 2020.
Prague, Czech Republic
Top: Tourists walking across the medieval Charles Bridge, on Nov. 7, 2019
Bottom: The bridge empty as the Czech government restricts movement of people to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, on March 16, 2020.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Top: A commuter wearing a protective face mask walking through a metro station in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2020.
Bottom: The same metro station seen empty over concerns of the spread of the coronavirus disease March 18, 2020.
Preska, Slovenia
Top: A class in school before closing the schools.
Bottom: An empty class in school after closing the schools due to coronavirus disease, on March 13, 2020.
Amman, Jordan
Top: Tourists visiting the pillars of the Roman Temple of Hercules at the Amman Citadel, on March 10, 2020.
Bottom: The citadel seen empty after its closure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, on March 15, 2020.
Mumbai, India
Top: The Gateway of India, on August 18, 2016.
Bottom: After the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention, on March 17.
Hong Kong, China
Top: Tourists taking pictures at the Peak in Hong Kong.
Bottom: A man wearing a facemask as a precautionary measure against the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus at the same location on March 7, 2020.
Podgorica, Montenegro
Top: A cafe terrace before the lockdown.
Bottom: After the government tightened up measures for coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention in Podgorica, Montenegro, on March 14.
Karachi, Pakistan
Top: A general view of Clifton beach, on March 15, 2020.
Bottom: After Pakistan shut all its schools and discouraged large gatherings amid an outbreak of coronavirus, on March 19, 2020.
Sidon, Lebanon
Top: People praying inside a mosque during Friday prayers March 6, 2020.
Bottom: View of same site, now empty, as Friday prayers were suspended in mosques to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease, on March 20, 2020.
Dakar, Senegal
Top: Senegalese working out at the beach along route de la Corniche in Dakar, Senegal on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: An empty beach after the government tightened up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease, on March 19, 2020.
Basra, Iraq
Top: Worshipers walking out after performing prayers at Basra Grand Mosque, on March 12, 2020.
Bottom: The mosque seen empty after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, March 17, 2020.
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Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has specifically identified over a dozen government-backed attacker groups that are using “COVID-19 themes as lure for phishing and malware attempts, according to a new report published Wednesday.
“One notable campaign attempted to target personal accounts of US government employees with phishing lures using American fast food franchises and COVID-19 messaging. Some messages offered free meals and coupons in response to COVID-19, others suggested recipients visit sites disguised as online ordering and delivery options,” the report said.
The report from Google also cited new activity that corroborates reporting from Reuters last month about Iranian-backed hackers attempting to break into the World Health Organization.
On Thursday, WHO said it “has seen a dramatic increase in the number of cyber attacks directed at its staff, and email scams targeting the public at large” since the outbreak began.
“This week, some 450 active WHO email addresses and passwords were leaked online along with thousands belonging to others working on the novel coronavirus response,” the organization said in a news release. “The leaked credentials did not put WHO systems at risk because the data was not recent. However, the attack did impact an older extranet system, used by current and retired staff as well as partners.”
Lawmakers demand more action
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the US, the National Security Agency and Cyber Command have launched offensive cyber action in an attempt to counter a wide range of foreign attacks, including disinformation, sources say. The exact nature of that response is unclear given the work of those agencies remains highly classified.
Broadly speaking, multiple officials told CNN that these agencies continue to employ a “defend forward” posture, which includes offensive operations intended to deter foreign actors linked to nation state adversaries.
US Cyber Command and the NSA are led by Gen. Paul Nakasone, who has been given additional authority to conduct these types of operations without having to get White House approval in recent years, particularly since the Russian threat against US elections became clear.
Cyber Command, NSA and CISA declined to comment on those offensive measures and their response to the senators, but CISA did point to warnings they issued with British counterparts.
While these agencies are currently operating with an unprecedented amount of leeway, some lawmakers believe more needs to be done to protect US health organizations and agencies amid the ongoing pandemic.
A bipartisan group of senators, which included members of the Intelligence and Armed Services committees, said this week that Cyber Command and CISA need to be more aggressive with their warnings and actions to ward off what they called an “unprecedented and perilous campaign of sophisticated hacking operations from state and criminal actors amid the coronavirus pandemic.”
“Disinformation, disabled computers, and disrupted communications due to ransomware, denial of service attacks, and intrusions means critical lost time and diverted resources,” Senators Tom Cotton, Richard Blumenthal, Mark Warner, David Perdue and Edward Markey wrote in a letter to Nakasone and the CISA director, Christopher Krebs. “During this moment of national crisis, the cybersecurity and digital resilience of our healthcare, public health, and research sectors are literally matters of life-or-death.”
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