Pandemic: 'Normal' Crime Drops While Cyber Crime Jumps

The lockdown has been introduced in the US, China, Italy, Ireland, France, Spain, the UK and dozens of other regions and countries around the world. The coronavirus crisis has led to a drop in traditional recorded crime, by as much as 20% in some areas, however, home-working has led to an increase in cyber criminals exploiting individuals and businesses.

More people working at home using the Internet and possibly facing financial problems due to jobs losses and employees being placed on furlough, mean that the public are more vulnerable to online fraud, domestic violence and child abuse are all crimes which may see an increase during the coronavirus pandemic.

Phishing is a type of cyber-attack in which scammers send malicious messages that appear to be from a trusted source. The purpose of these messages is to get the recipient to hand over login details or infect their system with malware. The scammers do this by including a link that replicates a genuine website or attaching an infected file to the message. These scams are usually delivered by email, but they can also occur on social media, by text or over the phone. 

Coronavirus-related attacks come at a time of increasing cyber-crime, with the number of such offences reported to the National Fraud Office jumping from 273,598 to 306,126 between 2017 and 2018.

The British National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it has uncovered emerging tactics from hackers including sending fake emails purporting to be from popular video conferencing services such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

People are also warned to be wary of false coronavirus tracker apps that claim to let people see if there have been outbreaks in their area but instead infect devices with malware.

Similarly, there is a growing trend of cyber-attacks on British financial services firms, with the UK Financial Conduct Authority reporting last year a 480% year-on-year increase in the number of regulated firms targeted. 

According to email fraud security specialist Proofpoint, cyber criminals have also been using coronavirus as a means of manipulating users through fraudulent activity. Since 29 January, Proofpoint has recorded 500,000 messages, 300,000 malicious URLs and 200,000 malicious attachments with coronavirus themes across more than 140 campaigns.

Sophisticated techniques using artificial intelligence are becoming more common, and leading to a rise in targeted phishing campaigns. Crimes such as house break-ins and vehicle thefts have fallen 'significantly' because offenders are stuck at home as part of the effort to control the spread of Covid-19.

In many countries, governments are promising money to get citizens through the economic crisis sparked by the pandemic, but many of the programmes aren't fully set up yet, leaving people in the dark on how to connect to the cash. In Canada, there are reports of fraudulent text messages promising to link the recipients to government funds with the aim of getting bank details from the unsuspecting victims. 

Europol has identified cyber-crime, fraud, counterfeit goods and organised property crime as categories of particular concern.

Proofpoint:       Investment Week:     ITGovernance:     Yorkshire Post:     

Lancashire Telegraph:    Guardian:    Euronews:      Wired:     Leicester Mercury

You Might Also Read:

Cyber Attacks Up 500% In A Month:





 

 

« Personal Data Of 115m Pakistanis For Sale
Quantum Computing, Hackers & The Internet of Things »

Infosecurity Europe
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Our Supplier Directory lists 8,000+ specialist cyber security service providers in 128 countries worldwide. IS YOUR ORGANISATION LISTED?

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Resecurity

Resecurity

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

Clayden Law

Clayden Law

Clayden Law advise global businesses that buy and sell technology products and services. We are experts in information technology, data privacy and cybersecurity law.

SSL247

SSL247

SSL247 is Europe's leading Web Security Consultancy Firm. We enjoy long-standing partnerships with Certificate Authorities including Symantec, GlobalSign, Entrust Datacard, Comodo, Thales and Qualys.

Acumin Recruitment

Acumin Recruitment

Acumin is an internationally established Cyber Security recruitment specialist.

Chatham House

Chatham House

Chatham House is an independent policy institute based in London. Topics cover foreign affairs and defence including cyber security.

GrammaTech

GrammaTech

GrammaTech is a leading developer of software-assurance tools and advanced cyber-security solutions.

Avatu

Avatu

Avatu specialise in providing clients the advice, technology and tools they need to fight cyber and insider threats.

Sumo Logic

Sumo Logic

Sumo Logic simplifies how you collect and analyze machine data so that you can gain deep visibility across your full application and infrastructure stack.

CERT NZ

CERT NZ

CERT NZ supports businesses, organisations and individuals affected by cyber security incidents, and provide trusted and authoritative information and advice.

ThreatAware

ThreatAware

Total visibility of your business cybersecurity. Monitoring, management and compliance for your cybersecurity tools, people and processes from one easy to use dashboard.

Extreme Protocol Solutions (EPS)

Extreme Protocol Solutions (EPS)

Extreme Protocol Solutions is an industry leading Data Sanitization Software, Hardware and Onsite Service Provider.

GK8

GK8

GK8 is a cyber security company that offers a high security custodian technology for managing and safeguarding digital assets. Secure, Compliant and Practical.

Bolt Learning

Bolt Learning

Bolt's Cyber Security eLearning module provides users with an in-depth understanding of cybercrime, how it can occur and what everyone can contribute to preventing it.

Herzing College

Herzing College

Herzing College Ottawa offers an accelerated 12-month Cybersecurity Specialist training program. This program is developed by industry experts and based on leading IT security certifications.

European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)

European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)

The EDPS is the European Union’s independent data protection authority. We monitor and ensure the protection of personal data and privacy when EU institutions and bodies process personal information.

Trovent Security

Trovent Security

Trovent was founded with a clear goal: to support medium-sized companies in significantly increasing their IT security level.

CyTwist

CyTwist

CyTwist is an early warning attack detection platform that complement your existing security suite and provides your security teams with unique detection capabilities of stealth targeted attacks.

Net Essence

Net Essence

Net Essence is a Managed IT Services Provider. We deliver effective, reliable and fit-for-purpose IT solutions for SMEs based in the UK.