Criminals know well how to identify and use the potential victim's weaknesses to their advantage. Thus, the pandemic has also become a vector of phishing attacks.
From the recent analysis carried out by Kaspersky, a well-known company expert in cyber security, it emerged that cybercriminals did not miss the opportunity to exploit the pandemic, which is affecting the whole world, to carry out phishing attacks.
According to the data provided, as many as 300 phishing websites have been blocked in Europe, created to steal information, personal and payment data related to the theme of the pandemic, and 27 of these 300 were Italian sites. A real criminal scheme, which involves the creation of fake web pages where to buy tests for Covid, obviously fake, masks or other protective devices and even fake certifications in view of the obligation of the green pass for certain activities.
The goal is always to steal users' personal data and their bank details. To prevent these situations, it is always good to observe some simple but fundamental rules: be wary of offers that are too advantageous, do not click on suspicious e-mail links or those arriving via messaging systems, try to verify the authenticity of the website by checking references, and links.
Not just phishing
Since the start of the pandemic, phishing attacks have not been the only ones to experience strong growth. In fact, ransomware attacks would have grown by 300%, even if these are approximate percentages because based on known events, and it is known that many attacks are not disclosed. Thanks to the increase in the number of smart working connections, good opportunities for cybercriminals have multiplied, as shown, the latest in a long series, by the attack on servers in the Lazio region.
