In December 2020 theEuropean Medicines Agency announced that it had been targeted in acyberattack.[1][2] 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.[1][2]
In a separate announcementBioNTech said that files relating to theCOVID-19 vaccine it had developed withPfizer had been unlawfully accessed after a cyberattack on the EMA.[2] 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."[2]
Neither the dates nor the methods of the cyberattack were revealed, nor who the perpetrators were.[2]
TheNational Cyber Security Centre in theUnited Kingdom announced that it was studying the situation and how it would affect the UK.[2] The UK is the first country where the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was deployed.[2]
In March 2021 the Dutch newspaperDe Volkskrant published an article saying "sources close to the investigation" has disclosed that a Russian intelligence agency and Chinese spies were behind the attacks.[3]