Washington has accused China of seeking to pirate US research on possible vaccines for the Corona virus, which Beijing has vehemently denied, while US officials have spoken of Chinese and Iranian cyber attacks that hamper US efforts to develop a cure for the disease that has infected more than four million people worldwide.
In a statement today, Wednesday, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Electronic Security and Infrastructure Security Agency warned American researchers against attempts by Chinese-backed hackers to steal research and intellectual property related to possible treatments and vaccines for the Coronavirus.
The statement said organizations conducting research on the virus had been alerted of a likely targeting and breach of the network by China.
He added that attempts had been made to search for valuable intellectual property and public health data related to vaccines, treatments and examinations from networks and crews related to research on the virus that has caused about 1.5 million infections so far, including 85,000 deaths in the United States.
The statement added that China's attempts to target sectors involved in efforts to find treatments for the Coronavirus posed a major threat to the efforts of the United States to address the epidemic.
Although the FBI and the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency did not provide evidence or examples of the accusation against China, they urged all US institutions to enhance their cyber security and take measures to prevent theft of research related to the Corona virus.
The US administration accuses computer hackers, researchers and students of seeking to steal information from colleges and public laboratories in which they work.
In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected the new US accusations, saying that China firmly opposes all cyberattacks.
The spokesman said that his country is leading the world in research to find a cure and vaccine for Corona, and that it is immoral to target China with rumors and slanders in the absence of any evidence, as he put it.
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have repeatedly accused China of hiding information about the Corona virus, which first broke out in Wuhan, China, last December. Indeed, Trump supported the hypothesis of a virus leaking from a virus lab in Wuhan, which the Chinese authorities vehemently denied. .
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Cyber attacks
The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that Chinese and Iranian pirates are targeting American universities, pharmaceutical companies and other health care companies in a way that could hinder efforts to find a vaccine to fight the Corona epidemic.
Since January 3, at least, the two countries have launched cyberattacks against a group of US companies and institutions working to find a vaccine for the Corona virus, officials said.
According to the same officials, these attacks were devastating, which undermined the efforts of American research institutions and companies trying to find a vaccine for the virus.
The officials indicated that it was not clear whether the damage to some of the research was deliberate or not.
They also indicated that these attacks raised the possibility among some officials that the Trump administration could view the matter as a direct attack on the public health of the United States, and that it amounted to war.