[Global Times Special correspondent in Russia Qu Pei Ren Chong Liu Yupeng] "Russian hacker story" added new content. On the 16th local time, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada issued a warning that this year, the "cyber espionage organization" APT29 (also known as the "comfort bear") targeted multiple institutions in these three countries to carry out cyber attacks. It is most likely to steal information and intellectual property on the development and testing of the new crown vaccine. British Security Minister Broken Hill said in an interview with the media on the 17th that Britain had "more than 95%" confidence that APT29 was a hacker organization supported by the Russian government.
"Russia has nothing to do with these attempts." Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov on the 16th refuted the allegations "unfounded." The United Kingdom, the United States and Canada did not specify which organizations were targeted, nor did they disclose whether any information was stolen. The lack of convincing evidence has forced some foreign media to doubt the true purpose of this move by Western countries. After all, their political confrontation with Russia has become increasingly fierce in recent years, and research on the new coronavirus vaccine has also been regarded as geopolitically competitive A field.
Data map: Vaccine. Photo by Tang Yanjun
"Almost sure"
According to a report released by the National Cyber Security Centre under the British Government Communications Headquarters on the 16th, APT29's cyberattack is to use software vulnerabilities to access vulnerable computer systems and use malicious software to upload and download files from infected computers. The hackers also tried to obtain the passwords and other security credentials of employees of medical institutions by sending fraudulent emails. According to assessments by the United Kingdom and Canada, "almost certainly" APT29 is part of the Russian intelligence agency. Anne Newberg, director of cybersecurity at the National Security Agency, said, "For a long time, APT29 has been targeting governments, diplomats, think tanks, health care institutions, and energy organizations to obtain intelligence."
"We condemn the despicable attacks against those engaged in important work against the new crown virus," said Paul Chichester, director of operations for the UK's National Cyber Security Centre. British Foreign Secretary Rab issued a statement on the 16th, saying that the Russian intelligence service’s goal of using the new crown virus research results is “totally unacceptable.” “When other countries pursue their own private interests by reckless behavior, the United Kingdom and its allies are trying to find Vaccines to protect global health." The Associated Press commented that the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada issued a warning that seemed to increase the weight and importance of the statement.
According to the US "New York Times" reported on the 17th, the former head of the British government communications headquarters Robert Hannigan believes that Russia's main goal is Oxford University and the British-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, they are working together to develop a new crown vaccine. Some scientists from Oxford University said on the 16th that they noticed that they had "amazing similarities" with the Russian scientists' vaccine research work. In Hannigan's view, Russia does not want to disrupt vaccine production, but wants to avoid relying on Western countries' new crown vaccines. However, Russian company R-Pharm said on Friday that it has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to produce vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University in the future. In an interview with British media, Dmitriev, chairman of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said that Moscow did not need to steal relevant British data.
"You can blame anything on virtual hackers"
Russian independent television station on the 17th ridiculed the use of the words "almost certainly" in the accusations by Western countries, saying that "Moscow had to comment on these loud accusations again. They did not specify who the hacker attacked, nor did the hacker seem to steal anything. Things, but'almost certainly' made by Russia." "You can blame everything on virtual hackers. After all, it is difficult to prove whether they exist and which country they belong to." Russian State Duma Congressman Morozov said on the 16th. Independent TV stations believe that Western countries are justifying new pressure on Moscow. McCarthy, the Republican leader of the US House of Representatives, said on social media that he will propose a new bill on how to punish Russian hackers in the next few days.
In the view of the Russian State Duma Congressman Shvetkin, the United Kingdom has been looking for various reasons to attack Russia. This time the accusation is "very stupid, indicating that the Russian-British conflict is still escalating." The Russian embassy in the UK said that issuing a cyberattack warning is a "propaganda act" of the United Kingdom, and Russia will take appropriate and corresponding measures against the unfriendly actions taken by the British.
On the 16th, Britain also accused Russia of trying to influence the 2019 election. According to Agence France-Presse, last year, some suspected government secret documents about the Anglo-American trade agreement circulated on social media. The British opposition Labor Party subsequently used it for election campaigns, saying these documents indicate that Prime Minister Johnson plans to "sell" the state-owned health industry to Trump. Rab said on the 16th that "Russian personnel" were "almost certainly" involved in the document disclosure incident. Next week, the UK will also publish a report on Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
"Trap" in the story
The British "Guardian" commented on the 17th that in the past five years, Western countries accused Russian hackers of attacking campaigns, television stations, military institutions, anti-doping laboratories, and chemical companies. More than 100 Russian diplomats were expelled by the United States and European countries. In this case, the allegations made by Western countries on Thursday are almost impossible to shock the Russian public accustomed to such conflicts and contradictions.
"Russians are here again! Cybercrime, which little ordinary people know, is fully in line with the (Western) political agenda." The "Russia Today" TV station's 16th column said that the latest warnings from Britain, the United States and Canada are full of unconfirmed "Russia" "Hacker Stories" The same fact trap. According to the Russian "News" reported on the 17th, Shvitkin believes that the accusations of Western countries have "delusional" elements, which does not rule out their interference in Russia's vaccine research and development. Dmitriyev said that these people are afraid that Russia will successfully provide the first batch of vaccine products for the global market, so they are discrediting Russia's related work.
Assistant Secretary of Justice John Demers once said that the first country to develop a vaccine would write a "success story in a geopolitical sense" to gain influence on the world stage. The BBC said that understanding vaccine development and other details about the global epidemic has become the primary goal of intelligence agencies around the world, and spies from Western countries may be very active in this field.
The Guardian quoted Russian investigative reporter Soldatov as saying that the new coronary pneumonia epidemic "suddenly became a big political factor, affecting everyone in every possible way... Now, you can easily To find some political reasons to explain why this is the case now (accuse Russia for stealing vaccine development data)."
"The latest warning issued by the Anglo-American and Canadian security agencies is a recent example, showing that the United States and its closest intelligence allies have become increasingly willing to publicly accuse foreign opponents of cyberattacks in recent months." The New York Times commented. It is targeted not only at Russia but also at China. US Attorney General Barr said on Thursday that hackers from China had stolen intellectual property rights related to the treatment of new coronary pneumonia against American universities and businesses. "This is ridiculous." Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying said on the 17th that China is in a leading position in the research and development of new crown vaccines. China has first-class scientific research personnel and does not need to steal to gain a leading position.
"Regarding hacking, the world may be more concerned about the CIA than the Russians." The "Russia Today" TV station made such an evaluation of an exclusive report on Yahoo News on the 15th: In 2018, US President Trump issued a secret order to grant the CIA More power to launch cyber attacks, target countries include Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. "Russia Today" also said that the most well-funded hackers can not only effectively cover their tracks, but also create a false trail pointing to others. The "WikiLeaks document" published in 2017 exposed the tools that the CIA can use to simulate foreign cyber attacks. They can make hackers appear to come from Moscow or Tehran, rather than from the CIA headquarters in Virginia, USA.
"People who are really concerned about cyber security issues will not forget the "Prism Door" incident, and should have heard of the "Formula Organization". Yahoo News recently reported that the US Central Intelligence Agency carried out a cyber attack "secret order." Hua Chunying On the 17th, a few countries such as the United States launched "cyber warfare" against other countries. This is the biggest threat to the peace and security of global cyberspace.