In the blink of an eye, COVID-19 has taken center stage in almost every facet of operations in governmental offices, businesses, schools and homes in the world. And the ripple effects of this pandemic are invading more than our home lives and the economy. This crisis has required most of the country’s work-force to reinvent operations and require every non-essential worker to work from home. It is in this type of paradigm-shift that cybercriminals look for opportunity. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and response efforts, there has been an escalation of cybercrime and cyber intrusion attempts. While we each adjust to this new way of life and, more importantly, help our clients adapt, it’s important that we remain vigilant. Below are examples of some of the most recent attempts of cybercrime (either through phishing scams or VPN intrusions), as well as recommendations for how to mitigate risk.
Phishing for Something New
To begin, phishing emails have evolved to adjust to the virus outbreak and response efforts. We long for the days where the most threatening phishing email is from a fake email address purporting to be from the CEO of a company “needing immediate assistance.” Instead we are hit with new and various waves of malicious emails in the form of phishing attacks that even the most sophisticated recipient could fall prey to in light of the speed at which business is transacting and reacting, and the shift to working from home.
