17 Aug
Japan's health ministry is urging pharmaceutical companies and research institutes in the country to guard against possible cyberattacks aimed at stealing information on the development of coronavirus vaccines.
The ministry says the risk of such hacking attempts is growing in Japan.
It recommends precautions be taken such as setting complex passwords for accounts, keeping software updated, and regularly running virus scans on all files.
The ministry says it has confirmed no domestic case of a damaging cyberattack so far for coronavirus-related data.
Last month, intelligence agencies in the United States, Britain, and Canada issued statements on cyberattacks designed to collect research data on coronavirus vaccines.
The US National Security Agency said in its statement that a cyber-espionage group had targeted various organizations in the three nations.
The agency said it is "highly likely" that the group intends to steal information and intellectual property relating to the development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines.
It added the group is "almost certainly part of the Russian intelligence services."
NHK
