Security News > 2020 > April > Nation-backed Hackers Tune Attacks to COVID-19 Fears: Google
Google on Wednesday warned that nation-backed hackers are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to target health care organizations and those working to fight the pandemic.
A security team tasked with defending against government-backed cyberattacks on Google and its users said it identified more than a dozen state-sponsored groups using COVID-19 themes as bait in phishing and malware traps.
"Hackers frequently look at crises as an opportunity, and COVID-19 is no different," Shane Huntley of Google Threat Analysis Group said in a blog post.
Some COVID-19 themed targeting of international health organizations discovered by Google was deemed the work of an Iran-linked group referred to as "Charming Kitten."
Google is tightening security at more than 50,000 accounts thought to be in the crosshairs of state-sponsored hackers, according to the California-based internet firm.
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