A recent report detailed how foreign surveillance teams and hackers are attempting to steal COVID-19 vaccine research, including from UNC.

The New York Times published an article Saturday saying the Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned the Chapel Hill university in recent weeks about hacking attempts. According to the piece, Chinese hacking teams made moves to break into the computer networks of UNC’s epidemiology department, which is the center of much advanced research on the coronavirus.

The report said while the hackers did not infiltrate the university’s computer system, it is not the lone attempt foreign entities have made to access research being done in the United States. After speaking with current and former intelligence officials, the Times reported the federal government has warned several universities and pharmaceutical companies about attacks, as well as helped review their cybersecurity.

Surveillance shows the hacking groups have largely targeted common vulnerabilities often not patched instead of using intricate techniques, said the article. It shares a quote from Bryan Ware, the assistant director of cybersecurity for the Homeland Security Department, who indicates those cyberattack efforts will likely become stronger.

“It is really a race against time for good guys to find the vulnerabilities and get them patched, get those patches deployed before the adversary finds them and exploits them,” said Ware. “The race is tighter than ever.”

According to the Times, some government officials also believe Chinese surveillance teams are working to take advantage of research partnerships their own universities or companies have with American schools. UNC has its own history of partnering with China for research, including one current effort that studies HIV and sexually-transmitted infections.

As of Monday, no corporation or university has announced any data thefts resulting from hacking efforts publicly identified by the U.S. government.

When reached for comment by Chapelboro, UNC Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Security Officer Dennis Schmidt said the university regularly receives threat alerts from U.S. security agencies, like many research institutions.

“We take information security seriously and are continually enhancing our safeguards according to industry standards and best practices,” wrote Schmidt. “As part of our commitment to protecting intellectual assets, Carolina has invested in around-the-clock monitoring and threat-hunting services to help guard against advanced persistent threat attacks from state-sponsored organizations. We also have adjusted our posture not just to keep up with best practices of higher education, but to look ahead of them.”

In April, UNC was ranked the highest among United States universities for COVID-19 research by Microsoft Academic.

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