View source for Organization:2020 European Medicines Agency cyberattack

In December 2020 the [[Organization:European Medicines Agency|European Medicines Agency]] announced that it had been targeted in a [[Cyberattack|cyberattack]].<ref name=tj-european-medicines-agency-cyberattack>{{Cite news|title=European Medicines Agency says it has been targeted in cyber attack|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/european-medicines-agency-cyberattack-5294402-Dec2020/|date=9 December 2020|access-date=10 December 2020|work=TheJournal.ie|agency=Press Association}}</ref><ref name=guardian-hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema>{{Cite news|title=Hackers accessed vaccine documents in cyber-attack on EMA|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/09/hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema|last=Sabbagh|first=Dan|date=9 December 2020|access-date=10 December 2020|work={{wipe|The Guardian}}}}</ref> The agency announced that it had opened a full investigation in close cooperation with law enforcement and other entities but declined to give details of the attack while the investigation was ongoing.<ref name=tj-european-medicines-agency-cyberattack/><ref name=guardian-hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema/>
In a separate announcement [[Company:BioNTech|BioNTech]] said that files relating to the COVID-19 vaccine it had developed with [[Company:Pfizer|Pfizer]] had been unlawfully accessed after a cyberattack on the EMA.<ref name=guardian-hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema/> BioNTech also said that "No BioNTech or Pfizer systems have been breached in connection with this incident and we are unaware of any personal data of study participants being accessed."<ref name=guardian-hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema/>

Neither the dates nor the methods of the cyberattack were revealed, nor who the perpetrators were.<ref name=guardian-hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema/>

The [[Organization:National Cyber Security Centre (United Kingdom)|National Cyber Security Centre]] in the {{wipe|United Kingdom}} announced that it was studying the situation and how it would affect the UK.<ref name=guardian-hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema/> The UK is the first country where the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was deployed.<ref name=guardian-hackers-accessed-vaccine-documents-in-cyber-attack-on-ema/>

== Russia and China accused==
In March 2021 the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant published an article saying "sources close to the investigation" has disclosed that a Russian intelligence agency and Chinese spies were behind the attacks.<ref>https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/russian-and-chinese-hackers-gained-access-to-ema~bdc61ba59/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Cyberattacks]]

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