With work from home becoming the new normal, corporate, schools and families have opted for various video conferencing applications to conduct their meetings and for staying in touch. With the growing popularity of video conferencing platforms, they have also attracted the attention of threat actors who have now spreading their malice by “Zoom-Bombing” users. Zoom being one of the most popular video conferencing apps, is also prone to digital threats. Hackers entering Zoom calls to create chaos has become a common occurrence in current day scenarios.
They have recently been disrupting online classes conducted by various universities in the US, targeting Jewish students with threats and swamping meetup groups with racial comments.
In response to these digital attacks, the video communications company since then has announced updates to its products in order to address cybersecurity issues and protect its users from cyberattacks.
Besides zoom-bombing, hackers are executing different kinds of cyberattacks such as email phishing, SMS phishing, ransomware attacks, mobile malware, and much more in the time of a global crisis.
A concern through the pandemic
- Researchers observed, several phishing emails imitating the WHO, deployed the Agent Tesla Keylogger Malware. Besides Agent Tesla, most of the coronavirus-related phishing emails are received with NetWire and LokiBot enclosed as attachments.
- A series of SMS messages leveraged a UK government-themed lure to gather email, name, address, and banking information was noticed recently. These SMS messages contained a link to the phishing site.
- A substantial increase in the number of ransomware attacks against key organizations and infrastructure involved in dealing with coronavirus has been detected by Interpol.
- A team of researchers also discovered 16 different malicious apps, disguising as legitimate coronavirus apps, which carried various malware. These malware-laden applications aimed at stealing critical user information or driving fraudulent revenues from premium services.
- Europol arrested a man in Singapore who was masquerading as a legitimate organization that claimed quick supply and delivery of medical products that have become invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Researchers also uncovered a malicious website (fil24.xyz) that claimed to provide a wide variety of approved VPN installer for social media applications such as Instagram and Facebook.
Catching up with the rising threats
- In order to control phishing and other corona related attacks, various government agencies have collaborated to issue security guidelines.
- Organizations are advised to install the latest security patches and configurations on their VPNs. Furthermore, they are also advised to use multi-factor authentication on all VPN connections to increase security.
- INTERPOL has issued a ‘purple notice’ alerting police departments in all its 194 member countries, to take action against various ransomware threats
How can you shield yourself against such attacks?
Threat actors are constantly evolving and with it, their strategies are also evolving to capitalize on the latest situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Realizing the frequency of malware and ransomware attacks, individuals and organizations should remain hypervigilant.
Users and organizations dealing with coronavirus-themed emails and text messages enclosing links to fake websites, individuals, and organizations need to keep in mind the security guidelines issued by their government agencies.
Individual users can maintain virtual social distancing and keep away from opening links or attachments in unsolicited emails. Also, they should ensure that your meetings are password protected and its details are to be shared with only attending parties.
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