As tensions rise surrounding the global coronavirus pandemic, cyber criminals are gearing up to take advantage. In recent weeks, cyber security firms have noticed an uptick in malicious online activity. Capitalizing off people’s worst fears, these predatory coronavirus cyber attacks are on the rise, so here’s all that we know.
An Overview of Coronavirus Cyber Attacks
Threats from Abroad
On the back of a virus making its way from east to west, some criminals and organizations are spreading another kind of virus from China. According to leading cyber security firm CrowdStrike, coronavirus cyber attacks are becoming rather prolific.
The vice president of CrowdStrike has revealed new intelligence showing how their business has tracked these growing threats.
The Attacks
According to CrowdStrike, a China-based organization known as PIRATE PANDA has used major news events as a lure to infect victim’s computers with malware that allows for remote access to their network.
These coronavirus cyber attacks are reminiscent of similar threats posed during January’s U.S. strike in Iran and more recently with a file containing official health data concerning coronavirus. In both instances, the messages were falsely labeled as containing sensitive records.
Another group identified by CrowdStrike is called MUMMY SPIDER. This criminal organization is using coronavirus in an “email thread-hijacking technique” to get users to download malware.
Not to mention, with so many companies’ employees working from home, their data is left exposed and vulnerable.
What’s Next
Although the identified emails are predominantly written in Japanese, these coronavirus cyber attacks have sometimes been used to steal financial information or login credentials all over. By and large, this malicious activity is used to prey on people’s fears of the virus spreading.
Although these attacks are abundant, they can mostly be avoided by practicing common phishing and malware identification techniques. But for all other cyber security concerns, TCI is here to help.
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