As Businesses Embrace Remote Work, Cybercriminals Change Their Targets to Home Computers. Here’s How to Stay Safe Against the Influx of Phishing Attacks and Other Threats…
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the closure of non-essential businesses, daycares, and schools around the world. Any sort of large gatherings, similar to those in an office, have been deemed unsafe for a good reason. Right now, social distancing is the best way to maintain our health and safety. But cybercriminals were quick to catch onto the influx of remote workers – changing their targets to home computers that tend to be less secure than their office counterparts.
The FBI has claimed they’ve received thousands of complaints about fraudulent activity related to the coronavirus pandemic. FBI Assistant Director Matt Gorham explained,
“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of precedent for criminals taking advantage of natural disasters and government relief packages to conduct fraud, including through cyber means.”
Consumer Reports also made a statement regarding the influx of cybercrime, and in particular, phishing emails.
“Many of the emails, which often appear to be sent by WHO or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pretend to offer new information about the virus,” according to Consumer Reports. “Some hint at the availability of a vaccine, and others claim to be from charitable organizations looking to raise money for victims.”
Even COVID-19 themed domains are on the rise. There have been approximately 6,000 coronavirus-related domains registered in the past few weeks – and they’re 50% more likely to infect users with malware than other non-coronavirus-related domains.
Chuck Bell, Advocacy Division Program Director of Consumer Reports, expressed, “Like a good movie, scams get your attention by telling a convincing story. Con artists love to take advantage of new health scares, to cash in on the public’s fear and anxiety.”
The first step to staying safe is by understanding how phishing attacks work. Let’s take a look at the typical process:
It’s quite simple, but unfortunately, very effective nowadays when the majority of us are working from home.
Right now, the most common phishing emails are those that take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic in the form of:
Unfortunately, many organizations simply aren’t prepared to handle the influx of phishing emails while working from home.
Although your employees are likely using home desktops and laptops to work, there are various measures you can take to keep them, and in turn, your sensitive data safe. Here are our recommendations:
Let’s work together to keep your remote workers safe against cybercrime. Fill out the form to get in touch with us.
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