Security News > 2020 > March > 667% spike in email phishing attacks due to coronavirus fears
There has been a steady increase in the number of coronavirus COVID-19-related email attacks since January, according to security firm Barracuda Networks, but researchers have observed a recent spike in this type of attack, up a whopping 667% since the end of February.
"The attacks use common phishing tactics that are seen regularly; however, a growing number of campaigns are using the coronavirus as a lure to try to trick distracted users to capitalize on the fear and uncertainty of their intended victims," the company said.
Barracuda researchers have seen three main types of phishing attacks using coronavirus COVID-19 themes: scamming, brand impersonation, and business email compromise, the company said.
As of March 17, the breakdown coronavirus phishing attacks detected, 77% were scams, 22% were brand impersonation, and 1% was a BEC. "We expect to see this trend toward more sophisticated attacks continue," the company said.
While phishing emails leveraging coronavirus are new, the same precautions for email security still apply.
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