FBI HAS ISSUED A WARNING FOR A FAKE CDC EMAIL IN MAJOR CORONAVIRUS AKA COVID19 PHISHING SCAM
As per previous prediction in 2019 and early 2020 by IT SEC Threat Intelligence team, regarding major cyberattacks in 2020 that will include a large scale phishing email. Today FBI warns of CDC phishing email taking advantage of the COVID19 / Coronavirus pandemic.
As more citizens are urged to stay at home and practice social distancing own, internet usage will rise dramatically hence widening the target landscape for the hackers. Using Social Engineering tactics, hackers use sensitive subjects such as this crisis to bait and hook their victims.
According to the Dark Reading
Cybercriminals are capitalizing on the spread of COVID-19 with new phishing emails that pretend to offer information about the virus or request money or data from concerned victims.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) issued an alert late last week to warn people of fake emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other healthcare organizations, pretending to share information about the virus. Officials advise not to open attachments or click links in these emails, and to be wary of websites and apps that claim to track COVID-19 cases. Criminals are using such websites to infect and lock computers.
Some of these emails ask victims to verify personal data so they can receive an economic stimulus check from the government, the FBI says. It emphasizes that while these checks have been mentioned in the news cycle, government agencies are not sending out unsolicited emails asking for private information. Other phishing campaigns may mention charity contributions, airline carrier refunds, fake cures and vaccines, and fake COVID-19 testing kits, officials note.
People are also urged to be on alert for attackers selling products that aim to prevent or treat COVID-19, as well as counterfeit sanitizing products and personal protective equipment (PPE). More information on PPE can be found via the CDC, FDA, and EPA.
