The new coronavirus (now named Covid-19 by the World Health Organization) in addition to spreading illness and death has affected production facilities including information technology. Now, according to a post on the Cyber Security intelligence website criminals are using fears about the virus to spread malware.
According to the post, IBM discovered emails in Japan with an attached Microsoft Word document purportedly about the coronavirus but actually containing the damaging Emotet Trojan. Other files were discovered by Kapersky containing various threats, including Trojans and worms. These emails prey on people's desire to learn more about the virus, but by opening the attachments they expose their computers to online viruses.
This is a new variation of an old problem: failure to spot and avoid suspicious emails. Any unsolicited email - especially with a link - could be from a cyber criminal trying to get into your computer system and steal information or introduce malware. When in doubt, report to your IT supervisor or service provider. Better safe than sorry.
To learn more about these or any other similar topics, schedule a brief intro call with our Cybersecurity expert, Steven Sharkey today!