Any sign of panic among the public is exploited by the unscrupulous elements for their benefit. The coronavirus situation is no exception. Hackers use this opportunity to mount cyberattacks on the vulnerable feeding on people’s fears. A select group has now come together to fight this menace and stop the hackers in their tracks. There are 400+ volunteers who have joined in this group from all around the world and some of them hold senior positions in companies like Microsoft.
The group has named itself the COVID-19 CTI League, CTI standing for Cyber Threat Intelligence. The group says they are trying to protect medical facilities and health organisations from being hacked into. There have been apprehensions raised earlier that with so many people working from their respective homes, the networks of businesses can be exposed to hackers since the individual systems at the homes of the employees may not have the level of firewalls available in the server they connect to, while working from their offices.
According to some members of this group, phishing through emails is one major way the hackers are using nowadays. Phishing is a form of mounting a cyberattack by sending an email and asking the recipient of the mail to click on a link or an attachment with a lure of an offer or some such thing. The moment the person clicks on the link or the attachment, he or she is instantly taken to a malicious page and from then on, the remote control and command can take over. It can drop a malware into the victim’s system and steal vital information including bank passwords etc.
The group says they are receiving support from law enforcement as well, which is good to see since usually they are at loggerheads.
Computer users worldwide need to be aware of these cyber threats and take all necessary precautions. One of the most important things to do is to avoid opening any email that is from a source not known to you. Even if it appears to be from a known source, like your bank etc., never click on the link or the attachment unless you are 100% certain that it is genuine.