Security News > 2020 > March > The Other Virus Threat: Surge in COVID-Themed Cyberattacks
The abrupt move of millions of people to working remotely has sparked an unprecedented volume of attacks to trick people into giving up credentials to attackers, according to security researchers.
The pandemic has created a perfect storm for cyberattacks, with millions of people working in unfamiliar, less secure circumstances and eager for information about the virus and new organizational policies being implemented.
Tom Pendergast of the security and privacy training firm MediaPRO said many of the millions of people adjusting to the new landscape are unprepared for teleworking.
Attackers are taking advantage of people's fears about COVID-19 with scare tactics to get people to click on malicious links or attachments, but also playing on sympathies with fake crowdfunding pages purported to be for people who have fallen ill, he added.
The US Department of Homeland Security issued an alert this month warning that the COVID epidemic has increased threats and that "Cyber actors may send emails with malicious attachments or links to fraudulent websites to trick victims into revealing sensitive information."