Hackers Target Companies With Coronavirus Scams
Summary
The number of malicious emails mentioning the coronavirus has increased significantly since the end of January, according to cybersecurity firm Proofpoint Inc., which is monitoring the activity. Email doctored to look like a company’s purchase order for face masks or other supplies could trick an employee into wiring payments to a fraudulent account, he said. The messages contained legitimate contact information for key personnel, according to screenshots of emails and translations provided by the cybersecurity arm of International Business Machines Corp., which has been tracking the scams. Phishing can be an effective tactic for public health crises, said IBM’s Ms. Kessem, as most major companies and municipal authorities rely heavily on email to communicate policies regarding the outbreak and their plans for handling people who may have been exposed. Write to James Rundle at james.rundle@wsj.com, Catherine Stupp at Catherine.Stupp@wsj.com and Kim S. Nash at kim.nash@wsj.com Corrections & Amplifications Russia-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab said it had detected 403 users of its security products who were hit with about 500 coronavirus-related files.
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