Rahm Emanuel is credited with saying "never let a crisis go to waste". Regardless of the political implications attributed to it, the reality is crisis are often exploited by individuals and groups to further their cause. The Covid-19 outbreak has become the latest global challenge that has inspired incredible response, both good and bad. In classic fashion, cyber criminals have wasted no time crafting attacks that prey on the public fears concerning the virus.
The FBI has recently warned the public about possible phishing scams using the proposed stimulus checks the US Government plans to send out. That article can be read here. Bleeping Computer reports that the Netwalker Ransomware is being used in a Coronavirus phishing attack here. SCMagazine also reports of scammers using the WHO to conduct a phishing campaign here.
This is but a small sample of the attacks that have been reported and shows that cyber criminals know no bounds.
What we can learn from this is the importance of always being cautious when opening emails, following links sent to us, and opening attachments. Verifying the sender, looking for suspect content and thinking twice about opening attachments or following links can make a huge difference. For most people, despite all the warnings, this is still a tough habit to get into.
For businesses, make sure you're taking advantage of scanning tools and content filtering solutions that can help minimize the risk of falling victim to an attack. Look into DMARC and DKIM, using services like OpenDNS to check links and most importantly, ensuring that you have offline backups of critical data.
Covid-19 is a crisis and some of the good that could come from it from a cybersecurity perspective, may be better investment in security controls to protect your business and personal data.
Comments