Microsoft is tracking phishing and social engineering attacks and how they are adapting to the news of the world. With more users working from home and stress levels high, Microsoft says they are seeing an increase in successful phishing attacks. This increase opens more businesses up to attack and preys on our appetite for information in this uncertain time. A report out this week shows China, Russia, and the United States are being targeted the hardest by hackers. Hackers are not suddenly using new tools to attack with, but instead adapting existing tools to include COVID-19 keywords.
Below is an example of how hackers are using the same phishing methods but adapting them to Coronavirus news.
Source: Microsoft Security Blog
Microsoft says they are seeing around 18,000 malicious COVID-19 themed URLs and IP addresses per day. Hackers have always preyed on emotion, so we knew they would use the panic and thirst for information to capitalize on stealing data. This new information from Microsoft shows the adaptive tactics are working. More users are clicking on these links or attachments than they were before the pandemic.
The same tactics for avoiding phishing emails are still relevant. Think before you click. Just because the email appears to come from a reputable organization, doesn’t mean it does. Go to the source for the information instead of clicking a link. Make endpoint users aware of this new phishing tactic and reach out to Quanexus if your business has IT Security needs.
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