Cybercriminals are actively targeting Covid-19 hotspots with malware and phishing campaigns, according to a new report from Bitdefender.
The report, “Coronavirus-themed Threat Reports Haven’t Flattened the Curve,” shows a direct correlation between confirmed Covid-19 cases and malware attacks exploiting the crisis.
These findings confirm a similar report that showed a 30000% increase in Covid-19-themed attacks from January to March.
“Countries that have reported the largest number of Coronavirus-themed [scams] seem to have also been those hit hardest by the pandemic,” the report stated, showing a concurrent increase in both confirmed cases and malware attacks in South Africa in April as an example.
Data from the Bitdefender report also indicated a connection between an increase in phishing campaigns in areas where testing for Covid-19 has become available.
“[W]e can safely infer that people who get tested are interested in learning more about potential treatments, medicine, medical best practices, and maybe even other patient’s experiences… those spending more time online looking for information about COVID-19 are more likely to fall prey to scams and malware related to Coronavirus,” the report stated. “Receiving an email claiming to have new and interesting information about the pandemic with more exclusive information embedded within the attachment is the perfect lure.”
Read the full report here.
