Publicly available online archives reviewed by "Reuters" and three researchers in Internet security revealed the involvement of hackers linked to Iran with Iran in targeting employees of the American company, Gilead Sciences, in the recent weeks, as the company seeks to offer a drug to treat Covid-19 infection caused by the infection. With corona virus.
According to a copy archived on a website used to scan malicious email addresses, a fake e-mail login page designed to steal passwords was sent to a senior executive in the company last April.
"The attempt is part of an effort by an Iranian group to reach the accounts of employees of the company using messages that impersonate journalists," said Ohad Zaidenberg, chief researcher at the Internet security firm Klearsky, which tracks e-infiltration, and conducted an investigation into the attacks.
Two other researchers in the field of Internet security, who are not allowed to speak publicly, confirmed that the internet domains and servers used in electronic intrusion attempts are linked to Iran.
Iran's mission to the United Nations denied any involvement in the attacks. "The Iranian government does not engage in electronic warfare ... the electronic activities in which the Iranian government is involved are purely defensive (and aiming) to protect against further attacks on Iran's infrastructure," said mission spokesman Ali Reza Mir Yousfi.
A spokesman for Gilead declined to comment, due to the company’s policy of not talking about matters related to cyber security.
Reuters was unable to verify whether any attempts had succeeded, nor was it able to determine who the intruders were following or their motives.
But the attempts show just how much hackers around the world have focused on information related to Covid-19 disease.
Reuters reported in recent weeks that infiltrators linked to Iran and other groups had also attempted to infiltrate the World Health Organization and that attackers linked to Vietnam had targeted the Chinese government over its handling of the virus.
Britain and the United States have warned few days that infiltrators are attacking drug companies and research institutions working to develop drugs to treat the new disease.
The joint statement did not specify the name of any drug company that was attacked, but two informed sources said that one of the targets was Gilead, whose drug Remedisfer has become the only treatment so far that has been shown to help patients with Covid-19.