Daily Mail: Russian Hackers Steal Medical Trial Records from British Coronavirus Lab

"We can reveal new details about the scale of the online battle which has left the intelligence community 'stunned' and is a subject of mounting concern at No 10. Hackers linked to Russia and Iran were behind 'utterly reprehensible' hits on British institutions tackling the virus, including universities and research labs.

"It is understood that further investigation suggests the hackers responsible are based in Georgia and linked to the Kremlin and Russian security services," reads the new investigative article by British edition Daily Mail, written by Harry Cole, a British journalist working as Deputy Political Editor for the Mail On Sunday.

Highly confidential details of hundreds of Britons taking part in medical trials have been stolen from a lab fighting Covid-19, The Mail on Sunday has learnt.

"This newspaper revealed last week how hackers linked to Russia and Iran were behind 'utterly reprehensible' hits on British institutions tackling the virus, including universities and research labs.

"Two days after our report was published, the security services released official guidance to research facilities on protecting themselves from such attacks, but insisted that none had been successful.

"Today, this newspaper can reveal new details about the scale of the online battle which has left the intelligence community 'stunned' and is a subject of mounting concern at No 10.

"It is understood that further investigation suggests the hackers responsible are based in Georgia and linked to the Kremlin and Russian security services. One source claimed the hackers demanded £2 million for the return of data, but sickeningly offered the company a 'discount' if it found a cure for Covid-19," reads the article. 

HMR did not respond to a request for comment, but in a statement on its website said it was testing for Covid-19 for the NHS 'free of charge'. No data directly relating to this testing has been stolen.

"Ministers are believed to be receiving daily briefings on the cyber-warfare situation, which has been described as 'fast-moving'. Concerns remain about a threat from Iran and officials are also worried about the dangers of hackers based in China trying to access secrets," the author of the article concludes. 

Author: Harry Cole

Source: Daily Mail 

Read the full article here

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