As the world faces the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps the greatest financial, emotional, and physical challenge of modern times, it should come as no surprise that one very lucrative business has gone uninterrupted – that of the dedicated cyber scammer.
It’s no surprise, but we can still be disappointed. From even the early days of the virus, cybercriminals quickly gravitated like opportunistic infections to exploit our anxieties and attempts to prepare ourselves for quarantine, offering malware under the guise of medical advice and coronavirus updates.
As security firm Sophos put it in their Naked Security newsletter, “Sadly, cybercrooks love a crisis, because it gives them a believable reason to contact you with a phishing scam.”
The scams frequently impersonate the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and, under normal circumstances, would be easy to spot as fakes. Scientists generally spell science words correctly, for one thing. However, in this time of peril, our normal vetting skills may be a bit strained.
And, even considering how active cybercriminals usually are, coronavirus has prompted a disproportionately high number of cyber threats. According to research from Checkpoint, coronavirus-associated web domains are 50 percent more likely to be malicious. With increased numbers of people working from home, there also exist more opportunities for threats, more vulnerabilities than ever. This is an uphill battle in so many ways.
As noted by security firm Digital Shadows, cybercriminals are now branching out into offering medical equipment, either on the dark web for high prices or via spam emails. I even received one from the highly legitimate-sounding “Family Prepping Association” inviting me to order the “Ultimate~CoronaVirus~PreventionKIT” for “family safety.” The “high-tech nano air mask” promises, somewhat ominously, to be the “last mask you’ll ever need.”
Thank you, scammers, but no.
Anecdotal reports also indicate that scam texts inviting individuals to “click here” to register for their $1,200 economic stimulus checks started almost the minute the idea was floated in Congress.
Where can the insurance industry play a role in the cyber elements of this epidemic? Anywhere and everywhere the industry normally would seek to minimize cyber threats would be useful now. Webinars, infographics on risk, alerts and updates on new threats – these can all help not only insureds, but any number of businesses grappling with the new, hopefully very temporary, reality. The message that cyber risk professionals have to send is needed now more than ever and by an even larger audience.
Editor Erin Ayers can be reached at eayers@advisen.com.
