Cybercriminals Manipulate Covid-19 Vaccine Data Amid Mass Vaccination Campaigns

As countries roll out mass vaccination campaigns, cybercriminals are manipulating data to undermine vaccine trust. The EMA confirms data manipulation after a recent breach.

, and Administrator

2025 October 7 . 4:04 PM

1 min read

In this image we can see few people standing and a person is holding a vaccine bottle and there is... — In this image we can see few people standing and a person is holding a vaccine bottle and there is a calendar and text on the image.

Cybercriminals Manipulate Covid-19 Vaccine Data Amid Mass Vaccination Campaigns

Mass vaccination campaigns have begun in several countries, including India, as cybercriminals spread manipulated data online. This follows a series of cyber-attacks targeting Covid-19 vaccine research and development, with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirming data manipulation to undermine vaccine trust.

In November, Microsoft revealed that nation-state actors launched cyber-attacks on seven prominent companies involved in Covid-19 vaccine research and treatment, including Indian entities. Dr. Reddy's, conducting Sputnik vaccine trials, was also targeted. Last month, the EMA suffered a data breach, with leaked data including internal email correspondence from November relating to vaccine evaluation processes.

In December 2020, hackers accessed data from Covid-19 vaccine research and development worldwide. Suspected nation-state actors linked to China, Russia, and North Korea were involved. Some leaked documents related to Covid-19 medicines and vaccines were manipulated by hackers. Two EU marketing authorisations for Covid-19 vaccines were granted following an independent scientific assessment in late December and early January.

The EMA is supporting a criminal investigation into the data breach, and law enforcement authorities are taking necessary action. European Medicines Agency has confirmed that hackers manipulated stolen Covid-19 vaccine data to undermine trust in vaccines. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre, Microsoft, and the World Health Organisation have issued warnings about cybercriminals targeting Covid-19 vaccine development and distribution organizations. BioNTech, which makes one of the Covid-19 vaccines in partnership with Pfizer, confirmed that its regulatory submission was accessed during the EMA's cyber-attack.