IBM warns hackers targeting Covid vaccine ‘cold chain’ supply process

A handout photo taken shows part of a 'freezer farm', a football field-sized facility for storing finished Covid-19 vaccines, in Puurs, Belgium. IBM’s cybersecurity unit said it had detected an advanced group of hackers working to gather information about different aspects of the cold chain, using meticulously crafted booby-trapped emails sent in the name of an executive with Haier Biomedical. — Pfizer via AP

WASHINGTON: IBM is sounding the alarm over hackers targeting companies critical to the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, a sign that digital spies are turning their attention to the complex logistical work involved in inoculating the world’s population against the novel coronavirus.

The information technology company said in a blog post published on Dec 3 that it had uncovered “a global phishing campaign” focused on organisations associated with the Covid-19 vaccine “cold chain” – the process needed to keep vaccine doses at extremely cold temperatures as they travel from manufacturers to people’s arms.