COVID-19 Cyber Attacks Are Working
Given the state of the world during this global pandemic, you must understand that coronavirus/COVID-19 social engineering scams are entering the lives of everyone. They feature anything from fake medical research with malware-injected URL’s to offering take vaccines – all this within a few months of the pandemic.
With all the funny scams that are going in cyberspace, there is a real danger to cyber-criminals exploiting this coronavirus pandemic. In the design of the attackers, the scale and importance of this pandemic mean that some humans cannot help by to be emotionally and mentally compromised on ourselves and others – which cybercriminals will exploit.
From a quick assistance to a health survey or following a store that selling masks when there is a real limited supply, driven by desperation which we rarely have to consider when checking our emails or the daily news, pre-pandemic. This means the plethora of spam, spoofing, phishing, and whaling attacks have statistically a higher chance of succeeding.
The conversation around “the new normal” becomes more normal, an organization can plan the best security measures for at-home workers that will prepare them to avoid these attacks while society prepares itself to get back in order.
Ways To Protect Yourself
As COVID-19 continues to spread, watch out for scams relating to it. Criminals want to profit from your fears, uncertainties, and misinformation. They are exploiting this crisis to facilitate fraud and cyber crimes.
- Questionable third-party companies offer to help you fill our applications
- Criminals using your identity for sign-up of government payment programs
- Spoofed government, healthcare, or research information
- Unsolicited calls, emails or text messages requesting urgent action or payment
- Calls for financial relief, medical advice, government assistance, and compensation
- Unauthorized fraudulent charities requesting money
- Questionable offers such as miracle cures, herbal remedies, vaccinations
- Fake and deceptive online ads
How do you protect your organization while operating online?
- Speak to a trusted IT advisor or cybersecurity organization
- Install spam-filtering service on email systems (this includes online services too)
- Conducting a security audit on your organization, which includes infrastructure and employees
- Referring directly to the government body for health, financial and security resources
- Avoid using antiquated, outdated, or end-of-life technologies while operating online.
Erminia Martinet
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