North Korean hackers tried to break into the computer systems of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in search of information about a coronavirus vaccine and treatment technology, the South Korean spy agency said Tuesday.
The impoverished, nuclear-armed North has been in self-imposed isolation since it closed its borders in January last year to try to protect itself from the virus that first emerged in neighboring China and conquered the world, killing more than two million people have died. people.
Leader Kim Jong-un has repeatedly insisted that the country has not had any cases of coronavirus, although outside experts question those claims.
And the shutdown has added pressure on the faltering economy from international sanctions imposed on the banned weapon systems, adding to the urgency for Pyongyang to find a way to deal with the disease.
Seoul National Intelligence “has informed us that North Korea was attempting to obtain technology related to the Covid vaccine and use the cyberwarfare treatment to hack Pfizer,” MP Ha Tae-keung told reporters after a back-hearing hearing. doors.
North Korea is known to command an army of thousands of well-trained hackers who have attacked companies, institutions and researchers in the South and elsewhere.
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, developed in collaboration with Germany’s BioNTech, received approval from authorities late last year.
It is based on technology that uses the synthetic version of a molecule called “messenger RNA” to hack human cells and effectively turn them into vaccine-making plants.
Pfizer says it may expect up to 2 billion doses this year.
The company’s South Korean office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.