Phishing: 4 ways to use coronavirus
Phishing or phishing is a cybercrime practice that involves attracting the Internet user to an unofficial platform.
To achieve this, the cybercriminal uses a classic method of sending a message (in most cases a Mail) to its target containing a link that supposedly will allow him to have information that might interest him.
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By clicking on this link, it is automatically redirected to a space controlled by the cyber criminal. The latter can then take advantage of this to collect personal information about his victim, or install a malware on the victim's terminal. In general practice, phishing cases are very common. And it is also with the evolution of the pandemic, we are witnessing an explosion in the use of this method. In this regard, Ely de Travieso, CPME's IT security reference, noted: "There is a very large increase in viral attacks around Covid-19, which follow the areas most affected by the pandemic: Asia, Italy, eastern France and Paris… and the region most certainly. (…) The pirates surf in particular on the very strong emotion aroused, the stress caused but also the new working conditions, in a technical environment not always secure. ». "All this is devoid of moral meaning, but unfortunately this is often the case in cybercrime, in order to achieve its ends attackers surf on trending topics, fear, etc." argues Sébastien Gest, a computer security specialist and expert at Vade Secure. He will observe 4 ways for cyber criminals to use the phishing method to take advantage of coronavirus.
Method 1: The promise of coronavirus survival.
Sébastien Gest observed two types of menacs that appear at this level: " (The first) is characterized by the use of an image instead of text. In order to counter the detection filters, an image is displayed on a white background to the user. If the latter displays the images in the emails by default, it will have no ability to detect the deception. in the second category, he notes that the email group "is akin to fairly worked marketing emails." The graphic quality is reminiscent of that of successful series. ».
Method 2: The sale of the famous protective masks "via loyalty cards"
"The loyalty card scam has turned into an advertising email extolling the merits of a "certified" mask to prevent coronavirus. explains Sébastien Gest. In other words, when the user clicks on the fake link that will be offered to him by the hackers, he will be automatically redirected to a fake site selling masks.
Method 3: The call for donations for research in the name of finding a vaccine.
We can say that this is one of the most common. This kind of dummy message has been observed since the beginning of February. As the header of spoofed organizations, the visual identity of the World Health Organization has been widely used in this kind of practice. And it's obvious that this will continue for a long time
Method 4: the offer to purchase cures for the disease.
The panic caused by the pandemic is driving some Internet users to be easily deceived. This is why some cyber criminals will propose medicines to treat the disease. Even if it seems a bit far-fetched, some people are unfortunately being deceived.
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