North Korean hackers have tried to break into the computer systems of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer to gain access to information about a coronavirus vaccine, according to a South Korean lawmaker and several reports.
According to the Agence France-Presse, MP Ha Tae-keung, according to the Agence France-Presse, said the Seoul national intelligence service ‘informed us that North Korea was trying to develop technology related to the Covid vaccine and treatment used through cyberworks to hack Pfizer. ‘
The US State Department and Pfizer did not immediately respond to Fox News’ emails.
The reported effort by North Korea, though daring, is not so surprising. UN security experts recently found that North Korean hackers stole about $ 316 million to upgrade its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
NORTH KOREAN HACKERS STOLE $ 316M TO IMPROVE NUKES, BALLISTIC MISSILES, UN UN KNOWLEDGE
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attends a meeting of the ruling Labor Party politburo in Pyongyang, North Korea, on November 15, 2020. (Korean Central News Agency / Korea News Service via AP, File)
North Korea has also been linked to significant cyberattacks, which it denies. These include a 2013 campaign that affected the servers of South Korean financial institutions, the 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures and the 2017 WannaCry malware attack.
Leader Kim Jong Un maintained that the country had no cases of coronavirus. North Korea introduced a border lockout last year and increased quarantine measures in an effort to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Pfizer plans to make two billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this year, according to the international news agency headquartered in Paris, France.
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and the Associated Press contributed to this report