Sophisticated behind-the-scenes espionage is apparently taking place to obtain information on the main candidates for the coronavirus vaccine.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that hackers linked to the Chinese government had attacked Modern (NASDAQ: MRNA). Reuters cited an unidentified “US security official” as its source. Moderna is considered by many observers to be the most promising vaccine candidate at this time, 1273 mRNA.
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Moderna confirmed to Reuters that sometime earlier this year, the FBI alerted the company to possible “information recognition activities” by a group of Chinese hackers. These activities cover a variety of espionage activities, including investigating vulnerabilities in online networks. It is unclear how successful they were, if at all, in their efforts.
These hackers reportedly include two unidentified Chinese citizens who were indicted last week for spying on the US Among their targets were three companies, again, unnamed, involved in the coronavirus investigation. One of the companies is a Massachusetts-based biotech that fits Moderna’s profile.
Moderna spokesman Ray Jordan told Reuters that his company “remains very vigilant against potential cybersecurity threats, maintaining an internal team, external support services and good working relationships with external authorities to continually assess threats and protect our valuable information”.
The source of the article did not provide further details on the alleged hacking. The Chinese government has yet to comment on the report.
Moderna continues its relatively rapid development of 1273 mRNA, which uses messenger RNA to elicit a response from the body’s immune system. The vaccine candidate entered her phase 3 clinical trial on Monday.
Although a large number of candidates for the coronavirus vaccine are being developed, none have been approved for use.
