Bryan Ware, Director General of Cybersecurity at theCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, said the US has a secret list of research coronavirus
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent thousands of personalized alerts about potential vulnerabilities in the healthcare sector. The messages are not indicative of a breach, but they provide a preview of potential targets for hackers in the healthcare industry.
According to the official who spoke on Wednesday at a webinar by cybersecurity companyCrowdStrike, the alerts began being sent since the COVID-19.
The list of organizations referred to by CISA as “Tier 1” institutions is a series of fewer than 100 universities and pharmaceutical companiesworking on the creation and distribution of vaccines or other treatments for the virus. All are targets for the hackers’ elite.
“With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized how important the healthcare sector is,” Ware said in email .
The new data shows how the government has handled cyber threats during the coronavirus crisis, threats from sophisticated hackers, with state support.
In May, CISA and the FBI issued a warning about China, alleging it was engaged in a powerful hacking against institutions researching the coronavirus, as a continuation of the long-running campaign to steal intellectual property.
In addition, researchers identified a similar campaign from Iran, although it is not clear how effective their efforts are.
The first tier of the list is part of CISA’s mission, which was initially referred to as “Project Taken,” after the agency’s director, Chris Krebs. The name is a reference to the Liam Neeson, in which “the protagonist sends a clear message to the bad guys that he will use his special skills to protect what is important to him,” Ware said.
The agency believes that all of this is part of the initiative that Donald Trump calls "Operation Warp Speed", an effort to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine research.
«We have placed particular emphasis on level 1 institutions, asking our partners to pay attention to them».
Any of the organizations mentioned on the list that wish to do so can providethe devices with which they connect to the internet for vulnerability testing.
The FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services maintain the infamous list. CISA compiles information on potential cyber threats from various organizations, such as the National Security Agency, andSlackof cybersecurity officials.
"We have seen increased evidence of critical vulnerabilities, and most importantly, this sector has responded faster than any other. We are not yet at our target, but we have made clear progress," Ware added.
