Last checked at 
(Adds comment from expert, UK NCSC)
Feb 25 (Reuters) - Oxford University said on Thursday it was
investigating a digital intrusion after a researcher said he had
seen evidence that a laboratory researching COVID-19 had been
hacked.
The breach took place in mid-February and occurred at the
Division of Structural Biology, known as Strubi, which has been
carrying out research into COVID-19, according to Alex Holden,
founder of Wisconsin-based Hold Security.
Forbes first reported the breach.
Strubi is distinct from the Jenner Institute, which develops
the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with AstraZeneca
.
Oxford University confirmed there had been a hack and in an
emailed statement it said it was investigating.
"We have identified and contained the problem and are now
investigating further. There has been no impact on any clinical
research, as this is not conducted in the affected area," an
Oxford spokesman said, adding that the university was working
with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on the incident.
It did not name the facility affected.
NCSC, the cybersecurity arm of spy agency GCHQ, said in a
statement that it was aware of the incident and was "working to
fully understand its impact."
Holden told Reuters that he discovered the intrusion when he
found screenshots from inside the lab's network left by the
hackers on a poorly secured server.
Holden said the hackers – which his company has been
tracking – were Portuguese speakers operating out of South
America and that they were criminally motivated, citing
references to ransomware and discussions of monetary payouts.
Digital espionage targeting health bodies, vaccine
scientists and drugmakers has surged during the COVID-19
pandemic.
In December, U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and its
German partner BioNTech SE disclosed that documents
related to development of their COVID-19 vaccine had been
"unlawfully accessed" in a cyberattack on Europe's medicines
regulator.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Derek Francis in Bengaluru,
and Raphael Satter in Washington; Editing by Catherine Evans,
Rosalba O'Brien and Daniel Wallis)
