European Medicines Agency hit by cyber-attack

European Medicines Agency hit by cyber-attack
2020-12-09T17:09:38+00:00

Shafaq News/ The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it has been hit by a cyber-attack.

The EMA did not say what the nature of the cyber-attack was, if it was successful, or if it was linked to the vaccine approval process.

There has been a string of warnings about hacking threats against vaccine-makers and public health bodies.

The agency is currently working on approval of two Covid-19 vaccines, which it expects to conclude within weeks.

The agency authorizes the use of medicines across the European Union.

It is trying to decide if the Pfizer/BioNTech jab - which has just begun being rolled out in the UK - and another made by Moderna, are safe for use in EU countries.

"EMA has been the subject of a cyber-attack," it said in a brief statement on its website.

"The Agency has swiftly launched a full investigation, in close co-operation with law enforcement and other relevant entities."

But it declined to provide any further details while the investigation is being carried out.

The use of cyber-attacks against bodies involved in the vaccine rollout has been a feature of recent months.

In October, one pharmaceutical company based in India was the victim of a significant cyber-attack.

And in recent days, IBM said that the cold storage supply chain used to transport viable vaccines, had come under cyber-attack - probably by a nation state.

The EMA has not yet said there is any link between the cyber-attack and its vaccine work.

But it comes the day before the agency is due to update MEPs on the progress of the vaccine assessments.

 

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