The chaos caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic has allowed unscrupulous hackers new opportunities to find victims as a number of workplaces are transitioning temporarily to a work-from-home basis. Meanwhile, some known criminal networks that operate online have claimed that they will desist from attacks during this global pandemic.
Hospitals have been targeted by hackers using malware disguised as various Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another mode of attack has been the use of an online map that is supposed to track Covid-19 cases, but in fact steals usernames, passwords and credit card numbers from a user's browser.
As large numbers of employees across the world transition to temporary work-from-home arrangements, hackers have been impersonating employers and authorities in an effort to target unsuspecting individuals.
With so many people searching for information on how to prevent infection by the novel Coronavirus outbreak, hackers have attempted to exploit this by using a malware email attachment which they passed off as a Word document with guidance for disease prevention.
In an interesting development, well-known cybercriminal groups such as DoppelPaymer and Maze have been cited in the international media claiming that they will desist from attacking healthcare service providers and medical organizations for the duration of the global pandemic. There is some debate over the extent to which such claims can be trusted.
However, experts claim that cybercriminals who promise to desist from attacks might also be doing so out of a desire for self-preservation.
Forbes cited experts who believe that cybercriminals might well be aware of the fact that during a dangerous global pandemic, law enforcement might come down particularly hard on them. Not only would the usual cyber law enforcement mechanisms be in play, but military and intelligence agencies from various global powers could get involved against cybercriminals who are seen targeting critical medical infrastructure at a time like this.