Security News > 2020 > June > Coronavirus-Themed Cyberattacks Drop, Microsoft

The report, which examined how cyberattacks exploited the crisis, found that attackers used local lures and preyed on people's "Concern, confusion, and desire for resolution" with mainly phishing campaigns aimed at spreading malware, committing identity theft or creating other disruptions.

Instead of creating new types of malware to use during the pandemic, Microsoft's threat intelligence on endpoints, email and data, identities and apps concluded that "This surge of COVID-19 themed attacks was really a repurposing from known attackers using existing infrastructure and malware with new lures."

While coronavirus-themed attacks began roughly at the same time in those countries even though their outbreaks tracked differently, research shows attackers adapting to the level of attention and concern people in each region had regarding the virus, researchers said.

Later, in early April, as the United Kingdom began providing more information to the public about Covid-19 and imposing lockdown measures, attacks dropped off, but when Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalized on April 6 due to COVID-19 and then moved to intensive care, attacks surged, dropping off until April 12 when he was released from the hospital.

"These COVID-19 themed attacks show us that the threats our users face are constant on a global scale," researchers wrote.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/coronavirus-themed-cyberattacks-drop-microsoft/156635/