Security News > 2020 > May > Top UN Official Warns Malicious Emails on Rise in Pandemic
The U.N. disarmament chief warned Friday that cyber crime is on the rise, with a 600% increase in malicious emails during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russia did not attend the informal council meeting broadcast online, which was the centerpiece of Estonia's council presidency.
Russia's U.N. Mission said in a statement on its website that it did not attend because Estonia, the U.K. and the U.S. violated "The established practice" that all council members attend informal meetings "Regardless of whether they approve or disapprove its topic."
In March, the U.S., U.K., and Estonia accused Russia's military intelligence of conducting cyberattacks against the government and media websites in Georgia, calling the attacks part of "a continuing pattern of reckless ... cyberoperations against a number of countries" that "Clearly contradict Russia's attempts to claim it is a responsible actor in cyberspace."
Russia said the COVID-19 pandemic introduced dramatic changes to people's lives and showed that the world's dependence on information and telecommunication technologies "Is now unprecedented."