Security News > 2020 > February > Wuhan coronavirus exploited to deliver malware, phishing, hoaxes

The Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread and create anxiety across the globe, allowing malicious individuals and groups to exploit the situation to spread fake news, malware and phishing emails.

IBM X-Force says that Japanese users have been receiving fake notifications about the coronavirus spreading in several prefectures, purportedly sent by a disability welfare service provider and a public health center.

"We expect to see more malicious email traffic based on the coronavirus in the future, as the infection spreads. This will probably include other languages too, depending on the impact the coronavirus outbreak has on the native speakers. In these first samples, Japanese victims were probably targeted due to their proximity to China. Unfortunately, it is quite common for threat actors to exploit basic human emotions such as fear - especially if a global event has already caused terror and panic," IBM X-Force researchers added.

KnowBe4 specialists warn about phishing emails that look like they've been sent by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, linking to a web page that supposedly contains updated lists of new coronavirus infection cases in the US:. Be careful, be aware.

KnowBe4's CEO noted that users should be careful when it comes to anything related to the coronavirus - emails, attachments, social media posts, text messages.

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