Security News
A review of the sales figures from some of the top pharmacy affiliate programs suggests sales of drugs containing hydroxychloroquine rivaled that of their primary product - generic Viagra and Cialis - and that this as-yet-unproven Coronavirus treatment accounted for as much as 25 to 30 percent of all sales over the past month. "Time to make extra money. Do any programs sell drugs for Coronavirus or flu?".
These emails claim to offer help on getting government funds but instead lead recipients to a web page that tries to capture their banking credentials. A button on the site proclaims: "Get Economic Impact Payment Now." Clicking on that button triggers a dropdown menu with the names of well-known banks, such as Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America, and Citizens Bank.
Though some ransomware gangs have vowed to hold off on attacks against hospitals and healthcare providers as the world battles COVID-19, others are still trying to make a profit out of any potential victim. As the virus has spread, the number of successful ransomware attacks against certain sectors has actually declined, according to a blog post published Thursday by Emsisoft.
Cybercriminals have been busy exploiting the coronavirus by creating malicious virus-themed websites, apps, and emails. Released on Thursday, IBM X-Force's 2020 Consumer & Small Business COVID-19 Awareness Study found that many people don't understand that certain government agencies, such as the IRS, would never contact them by email.
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the pandemic, including hackers who target hospitals and medical research institutions that are studying the coronavirus, the head of the FBI's cyber division said Tuesday. The FBI has received thousands of complaints regarding scams and frauds related to the virus, FBI Assistant Director Matt Gorham said in a statement responding to queries from The Associated Press.
If you've had that kind of dangerous misinformation coughed up at you on the platform and have liked, reacted or commented on it, expect to start seeing messages in your newsfeed alerting you and letting you know that Facebook has since removed the effluvium. On Thursday, Guy Rosen, VP of Integrity, said in a post that the messages will be shown to those who've interacted with misinformation that Facebook went on to remove.
The Tor Project is laying off a third of its staff due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the non-profit organization has announced. The developer of the popular privacy-focused Tor Browser said the crisis hit it hard, forcing it to make some difficult decisions.
This week in The Reg's security roundup of the notable bits beyond what we've already covered, the Tor Project has cut back to its core team, Zoom has called in the big security guns, US tech firms are taking on its Congress - and more. First off, it has been a bad weekend for 13 staffers at the nonprofit Tor Project after they were let go as the team was reduced to core operations only.
Google is striving to block Gmail messages and other content that exploit COVID-19, but there are steps users can take to fight such malware. The popularity of Google Cloud services such as G Suite, Gmail, and Chrome have made their users tempting targets for malware.
Instead, it suggests that apps broadcast "a temporary anonymous ID that permits establishing contact with other app users in proximity." Apps will record that anonymous ID and, if any user that has been in proximity tests positive to coronavirus and consents to having their data shared, other devices that have hoovered up the anonymous ID will receive a notification. App should be deactivated automatically and all remaining personal data and proximity data should be erased, as soon as the crisis is over.