Hackers imitating CDC, WHO with coronavirus phishing emails
Summary
Last week, IBM and Kaspersky caught hackers in Japan trying to spread malware through emails with links about the coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, in January. "The letters claim that the CDC has established a management system to coordinate a domestic and international public health response and urge recipients to open a page that allegedly contains information about new cases of infection around their city. The email, which has the official WHO logo, claims to have information on safety measures and asks victims to click a link that will take them to a page with more detailed suggestions for how to protect themselves against the coronavirus. "You can see why someone whos nervous about the coronavirus issue, or who has friends and family in the main areas of infection, or who wants to do the right thing by learning more about preventing the spread of the disease might fill in the form, perhaps because they are feeling pressured by (or not thinking clearly because of) the subject matter." Kowsik Guruswamy, CTO of Menlo Security, said this new campaign shows that companies have to be proactive about training employees how to spot these kinds of emails and attacks, which will become more prevalent especially with major news events like the coronavirus.
