The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency and its U.K. counterpart are urging the public to be cautious of malicious actors that use the current health crisis to conduct scams and other cyber attacks.
CISA and the U.K.’s national cybersecurity center issued a joint advisory calling on citizens to remain vigilant of hackers and advanced persistent threat groups that use phishing tactics to obtain personal information, NCSC said Thursday.
The APT groups send emails that appear to be from legitimate entities like the World Health Organization to lure individuals into downloading malware and other dangerous software. Both agencies have also encountered cases of cybercriminals using remote working tools such as video conferencing software to conduct cyber attacks.
“As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, bad actors are using these difficult times to exploit and take advantage of the public and business,” said Bryan Ware, assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA.
“We urge everyone to remain vigilant to these threats, be on the lookout for suspicious emails and look to trusted sources for information and updates regarding COVID-19,” he added.