European Medicines Agency data breach

In December 2020 the European Medicines Agency announced that it had been targeted in a cyberattack.[1][2] The agency announced that it had opened a full investigation in close cooperation with law enforcement and other entities but declined to give details of the attack while the investigation was ongoing.[1][2]

In a separate announcement BioNTech said that files relating to the COVID-19 vaccine it had developed with Pfizer had been unlawfully accessed after a cyberattack on the EMA.[2] BioNTech also said that "No BioNTech or Pfizer systems have been breached in connection with this incident and we are unaware of any personal data of study participants being accessed."[2]

Neither the dates nor the methods of the cyberattack were revealed, nor who the perpetrators were.[2]

The National Cyber Security Centre in the United Kingdom announced that it was studying the situation and how it would affect the UK.[2] The UK is the first country where the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was deployed.[2]

Russia and China accused

In March 2021 the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant published an article saying "sources close to the investigation" has disclosed that a Russian intelligence agency and Chinese spies were behind the attacks.[3]

References
  1. "European Medicines Agency says it has been targeted in cyber attack". TheJournal.ie. Press Association. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  2. Sabbagh, Dan (9 December 2020). "Hackers accessed vaccine documents in cyber-attack on EMA". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  3. "Russian and Chinese hackers gained access to EMA". 6 March 2021.
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