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A series of cyberattacks is underway aimed at the companies and government organizations that will be distributing coronavirus vaccines around the world, IBM’s cybersecurity division has found, though it is unclear whether the goal is to steal the technology for keeping the vaccines refrigerated in transit or to sabotage the movements. The findings are alarming enough that the Department of Homeland Security plans to issue its own warning on Thursday to Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s effort to develop and distribute coronavirus vaccines, federal officials said. (Sanger and LaFraniere, 12/3)

IBM researchers have detected a global phishing campaign targeting organizations associated with an overseas supply chain used for vaccine distribution. The company said spoofed emails impersonating a Chinese biomedical executive targeted organizations in six countries, including Germany, Italy, South Korea, the Czech Republic and Taiwan. The organizations, which included a European Commission office, are believed to be “providers of material support to meet transportation needs within the COVID-19 cold chain,” the analysts wrote in a post to be published Thursday. (Slack, 12/3)

The Department of Transportation is prepared for “immediate mass shipment" of coronavirus vaccines within the U.S., department officials said Tuesday. The department said in a news release that it has developed “appropriate safety requirements for all potential hazards involved in shipping the vaccine, including standards for dry ice and lithium batteries used in cooling.” Private sector firms will collaborate with government agencies to move the drugs from the manufacturers to distribution hubs. (Budryk, 12/2)

Federal officials on Wednesday said they anticipate vaccinating as many as 100 million people by March once a coronavirus vaccine is approved and ready to be distributed. In a call with reporters, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said federal agencies have made preparations to begin allocating a vaccine, or vaccines, immediately after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for use. Among the most likely candidates to gain FDA approval first include vaccines developed by makers Pfizer and BioNTech, which won approval for use in Britain on Wednesday, as well as one developed by Moderna. (Ross Johnson, 12/2)

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit Memphis on Thursday to discuss the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, according to his office. Memphis is home to shipping giant FedEx, which is helping in the national vaccine distribution. Pence will participate in an afternoon roundtable discussion, which will include Republican Gov. Bill Lee. (12/3)

Pfizer has tasked United Airlines with transporting the first doses of its vaccine to the US, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, in preparation for an expected emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration scheduled to come in the upcoming weeks. A chartered Boeing 777-200 aircraft filled with the pandemic-ending drugs first flew on Friday, the Journal reported, traveling from Brussels, Belgium to Chicago, a United hub. Unlike the daily United passenger flight between the two cities, Pfizer would have likely had the entire plane to itself as a dedicated charter. (Pallini, 12/1)