Background
Cyber criminals are exploiting the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak with phishing scams and malware. By creating clickbait such as conspiracy theories about unreleased cures for Coronavirus, scammers can trick people into clicking on malicious links, spreading malware and ransomware.
Impact
- Ransomware may encrypt all files.
- Links may direct the user to a phishing site, and in some cases embed a malware without noticing it.
- Possible loss of sensitive or proprietary information, potentially harmful to an organization's reputation.
Recommendations
- Do not click on any suspicious links or attachments.
- Ignore or delete suspicious emails immediately.
- Use anti-virus software.
- Update software regularly.
- Apply appropriate patches and updates immediately.
- Perform file backups regularly in an isolated network environment.
- Implement filters at the email gateway to filter out emails with known malspam indicators, such as known malicious subject lines, and block suspicious IP addresses at the firewall.
- Consider blocking file attachments associated with malware such as .dll and .exe and also .zip files which cannot be scanned by an anti-virus program.
- In cases of ransomware, it is strongly recommended not to pay the ransom.
- Good cyber hygiene and safe practices