Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people are getting accustomed to the new normal things as the pandemic has completely changed how people live and work. Not only that, the pandemic also changed the world of cybercrimes. There have been some drastic changes in the tactics used by cybercriminals during cyberattacks. A recent report has revealed that some of the prominent tactics observed during this phase include COVID-19 themed phishing emails, attacks on remote workers, and abuse of popular collaboration platforms.
According to Kapersky’s latest report, Email scamming and phishing are the most effective attacks used during this pandemic period. Attack campaigns offering users N95 masks or hand sanitizer became a major way to steal financial credentials and payment details from users. Moreover, ransomware attacks on the health care sectors and COVID-19 authorities became a popular attack strategy. The scammers often imitated leading authority figures on the pandemic, such as CDC and the World Health Organization, to give their emails additional touch of legitimacy to fool recipients. In addition, they used lures involving delayed shipments, because ordering by mail skyrocketed during lockdowns. In 2020, delivery services were the most-spoofed. Along with the above tactics, the cybercriminals have using other attack techniques like Brute-Force Attacks on Remote Workers and Attacks on Collaboration Platforms.
This is not all as other factors that have been exploited by scammers include ongoing vaccinations or health passports for travel around the world. Therefore, it is important to always stay alert whenever something related to the pandemic arrives in an email.
Link: https://cyware.com/news/covid-19-and-fundamental-changes-in-cyberattacks-6657561c
