Heed Every, Every Alert about COVID-19 Cybersecurity Scams
Every day, there’s a new COVID-19 scam. And every day, RNB prepares communications to alert employees and explain how to protect company and personal information.
Is your company or organization sending you warnings about coronavirus scams? I hope so. If they’re not, they should be (and RNB would be glad to help!).
Why is this important?
The level of cybercrime during the coronavirus pandemic has risen dramatically, and according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, “An increasing number of malicious cyber actors are exploiting the current COVID-19 pandemic for their own objectives.”
The threats are all around us:
During just one week in April, Gmail blocked 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to COVID-19. This was in addition to more than 240 million coronavirus-related daily spam messages.
On May 12, cybersecurity solutions provider Checkpoint reported that, in a three-week period, there had been 192,000 coronavirus-related attacks per week, a 30% increase when compared to previous weeks.
As of May 18, the US Federal Trade Commission revealed that a staggering 49,046 consumer COVID-19-related complaints from all 50 states have been reported this year.
Why are these scams so prevalent now?
Cybercriminals are using this time of heightened emotions to exploit people into revealing their own personal information. They’re hoping people working from home might drop their defenses while conducting business, and could be tricked into revealing sensitive company, financial or patient information. Cybercriminals are coming for this data by email, text, internet, social media and phone.
Here are the types of scams that are rampantly circulating:
Medical: Coronavirus cases near you, mandatory tests, breakthrough treatments.
Financial: Unemployment funds, stimulus checks, taxes, low-interest loans, utilities and account warnings.
Consumer: Shopping discounts, retail incentives, travel refunds; sales of high-demand products, like disinfecting wipes and masks.
Charitable: Non-profit donation requests.
Authorities: Municipal fines for breaking social distancing rules; government and health agency warnings.
And here are some schemes targeted specifically at businesses:
New or changing company policies.
Executives or business partners (actually impostors) requesting data or funds transfer.
Password or download requests.
New “company-approved” Work From Home technical solutions, file transfer tools or video conferencing apps.
Providers of scarce supply chain materials.
Identity verification for returning to work.
Here’s how you can protect yourself and your organization:
Slow down.
Treat every incoming communication with a healthy dose of suspicion.
Read carefully. Watch for misspellings, odd “From” addresses and scary messages.
Don’t panic.
Report anything unusual to the proper company or agency authority.
Don’t respond directly to any questionable communication. Instead, directly contact the person or institution that was supposedly contacting you.
Only use company-approved devices, and only use those devices for company-related activity.
You may not know it, but you are an essential front-line worker in the fight against cybercrime. Educate yourself. Protect yourself, your loved ones, your organization, and all that data. Stay safe!
RNB Communications is celebrating 20 years in business and offering a special 2020 discount for new engagements! Email me for details.