Canada's top cybersecurity agency has initiated the takedown of more than 1,000 'malicious imitation' websites attempting to scam people about the government's COVID-19 aid programs. It has also observed phishing attempts preying on people's anxiety around the pandemic—some by state-sponsored actors— masquerading as messages from public health officials.
OTTAWA -- Canada’s top cybersecurity agency has initiated the takedown of more than 1,000 “malicious imitation” websites attempting to scam or misinform people about the government’s COVID-19 financial aid programs. It has also observed phishing attempts preying on people’s anxiety around the pandemic—some by state-sponsored actors— masquerading as messages from public health officials.
In the report released on May 26, the agency said most of the phishing attempts they have pinpointed deliver malware “associated with either state-sponsored groups or well-known cybercriminals.” One such example happened on March 10, when phishing emails impersonating the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam were used to embed malware from an attachment, cloaked as an “important COVID-19 update.”“Cyber threat actors know that affected populations are anxious about the future and less likely to act prudently when presented with emails, SMS messages, or advertisements involving COVID-19 that would otherwise seem suspicious,” said the agency.
“Cybercriminals appear to be becoming more adept at targeting severely affected regions and municipalities with COVID-19 lures as well. As social distancing efforts begin to “plank the curve” and the wider public grows increasingly anxious for a return to normalcy, we expect that cybercriminals will likely begin crafting phishing lures which play on an increased appetite for information around COVID-19 vaccine development and production,” reads the report.
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