In December 2020 the European Medicines Agency announced that it had been targeted in a cyberattack. [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 announcement BioNTech said that files relating to the COVID-19 vaccine it had developed with Pfizer 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]
The National Cyber Security Centre in the United 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 newspaper De 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]