Microsoft urges action on health care cyber attacks

Microsoft on Friday urged a crackdown on cyber attacks perpetrated by states and “malign actors” after a spate of hacks disrupted health care organisations fighting the coronavirus.

“In recent months, we’ve detected cyberattacks from three nation-state actors targeting seven prominent companies directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for Covid-19,” said Microsoft’s vice-president for security issues Tom Burt.

Burt said targets had included leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States.

He said one was a clinical research organisation involved in trials while another one had developed a Covid-19 test.