OREANDA-NEWS. The British authorities accused Russian intelligence service of trying to steal information on the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus of the new type.

This was reported by Bloomberg news agency with reference to the UK National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC). According to its representatives, several institutions in a number of countries were subjected to cyber attacks. For security reasons, the NCSC declined to list the names and number of institutions which were attempted to be hacked. However, it was specified that organizations from Britain, the United States and Canada were attacked.

According to the British side, the hacker group APT29 (also called Cozy Bear or The Dukes), which is “almost certainly” controlled by Russian intelligence, is responsible for the attempt to steal data on a vaccine. This hacker group, according to the NCSC, specializes in attacks on government, diplomatic, analytical, healthcare and energy facilities.

“We condemn these despicable attacks against those doing vital work to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” NCSC Director of Operations, Paul Chichester, said.