The world is witnessing an unprecedented onslaught of upheavals not just in the ‘real-world’ but also in the cyber world. While the world is focused on the systemic threat posed by Covid-19, Cybercriminals around the world undoubtedly are poised to capitalize on the crisis by launching a different kind of “virus.”. CYFIRMA’s threat visibility and intelligence research revealed a massive increase of over 600% of cyberthreat indicators related to the Coronavirus pandemic from February to March.
How cybercriminals are creating their web?
Scammers are using advanced techniques to infect the laptop/PC and gain access to your systems. With COVID-19, Phishing scams relating to Coronavirus are becoming more prevalent, many hacker groups have been observed to be using brand impersonation with fake emails claiming to represent authoritative bodies such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The subject line and content of these emails are very enticing, offering news updates and cures to the ailment. Scams are tricking people into revealing personal information or donating to fraudulent charities, all under the pretext of helping to contain and manage the coronavirus. Other than unleashing cyberattacks to steal data, fake websites to sell face masks and other health apparatus using bitcoin in China, Japan, and the US has become more prevalent.
Work from home and increased cyber attacks.
More people than ever are working from home, often with fewer security defenses on their home networks than they would have in the office. Home Wi-Fi often doesn’t have the same defenses, think firewalls and anomaly detection monitoring of corporate environments. The cybercriminals are not even sparing Healthcare facility providers. Last week, Brno University Hospital which is a major Covid-19 testing hub in the Czech Republic suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted operations and caused surgery postponements. Embedded with malware that would infect corporate networks, these phishing attacks deploy social engineering tactics to steal data and assets. The European Central Bank has recently issued a warning to banks about the heightened potential for cybercrime and fraud, as many users are opting to stay at home and use remote banking services during the coronavirus outbreak.
Here are Some practical Tips to stay safe online:
1. Step up your cyber hygiene standards.
- Use a reliable VPN for internet access wherever possible.
- Check that you have a long, complex router password for your home wifi and that system firewalls are active on your router.
- Do not reuse the same passwords across the web.
- Follow official updates only.
2. Be extra vigilant on verification
- Be far more careful than usual when installing software and giving out any personal information.
- Ensure the programs or apps you install are the original versions from a trusted source.
- When signing up to new services, verify the source of every URL and
- Don’t click on links from the email.
Everyone personal behavior is instrumental in preventing the spread of dangerous infections both in the cyber as well as the physical world.
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