Security News > 2020 > August > UN Reports Sharp Increase in Cybercrime During Pandemic
A 350% increase in phishing websites was reported in the first quarter of the year, many targeting hospitals and health care systems and hindering their work responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.N. counterterrorism chief said Thursday.
Vladimir Voronkov told the U.N. Security Council that the upsurge in phishing sites was part of "a significant rise in cybercrime in recent months" reported by speakers at last month's first Virtual Counterterrorism Week at the United Nations.
He said the U.N. and global experts don't yet fully understand "The impact and consequences of the pandemic on global peace and security, and more specifically on organized crime and terrorism."
"The increase in internet usage and cybercrime during the pandemic further compounds the problem."
"The pandemic has the potential to act as a catalyst in the spread of terrorism and violent extremism by exacerbating inequalities, undermining social cohesion and fueling local conflicts," Voronkov said.