Report examines COVID-19 cyber threats

A recently released report generated by United Kingdom and American security personnel maintains cyber criminals and other online groups are exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak for personal gain.

The analysis from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) determined cyber criminals and advanced persistent threat (APT) groups are targeting individuals and organizations with a range of ransomware and malware.

“Malicious cyber actors are adjusting their tactics to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic and the NCSC is working round the clock with its partners to respond,” Paul Chichester, director of operations at the NCSC, said. “Our advice to the public and organizations is to remain vigilant and follow our guidance and to only use trusted sources of information on the virus such as UK Government, Public Health England or NHS websites.”

Examples of scams, per authorities, include emails containing malware appearing to come from the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and others which claim to offer thermometers and face masks to fight the pandemic.

“As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, bad actors are using these difficult times to exploit and take advantage of the public and business,” Bryan Ware, CISA assistant director for cybersecurity, said. “Our partnerships with the NCSC and industry have played a critical role in our ability to track these threats and respond. We urge everyone to remain vigilant to these threats, be on the lookout for suspicious emails and look to trusted sources for information and updates regarding COVID-19.”