Alert: Coronavirus Phishing Emails

Posted on: March 11, 2020 | By: infosec | Filed under: Security Alerts

As news about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) captures the attention of many around the world, cybercriminals are looking to exploit concerns and capitalize on the public’s desire to learn more about the virus through phishing email attacks. These scams often purport to be from government and other related agencies and may ask you to complete an action using a fraudulent component in the email, such as a malicious link, which then leaves the user open to deception.

What You Should Do

  • Be on the lookout for phishing emails, related to COVID-19 that contain links, attachments or ask for donations. These emails may appear to come from someone you know. Remember to look at the sender’s actual email address instead of just the display name to see if it looks legitimate. Do not click on these links or attachments, as they could be embedded with malware or take you to sites asking for your login credentials.
  • If you are looking for information on the coronavirus, visit known reputable websites like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization (WHO) or Elon’s dedicated coronavirus website.
  • Be wary of phone calls or text messages related to COVID-19 from unfamiliar sources.  It’s okay to hang up and delete the text messages.

It’s expected that there will be more malicious attempts based on COVID-19 in the future so now is the time to learn how to identify and protect yourself against phishing.

To learn more about coronavirus-themed scams, visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Infrastructure (CISA) website and the WHO website.

 

 

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