A cybersecurity report from Microsoft reveals that computer attacks related to COVID-19 have been reported in all countries of the world. The technological giant has mapped out the cyber attacks identified to date and makes known how far the disease reaches a certain country and that the population tries to find more information, the number of cyber attacks in the territory increases.
The Microsoft Security Department explains that cybercriminals do not need a large level of resources to carry out their intentions, just adapt the malicious tools that are already in place.
Microsoft notes that the Trickbot and Emotet malware families are still very active and, with the emergence of the pandemic, hackers are changing their baits to take advantage of users. The company detected 76 variants of the threats at a global level, some found in Portugal, and all use COVID-19 as a means of attracting attention.
Through Microsoft Threat Protection, the suite of security tools used by the company, experts found that out of the millions of malicious emails sent daily, around 60,000 include files or web addresses related to COVID-19. Microsoft says that while the figures may seem high, they represent only 2% of all identified email threats.
The SmartScreen tool detects and processes more than 18,000 malicious pandemic-related URLs and IP addresses daily. The report shows that attackers are becoming increasingly aggressive and quick.
In Europe, Europol is combining efforts to stem a wide range of threats. After having eliminated some 2,500 fraudulent web addresses in just one week, the European Police Service has reported that, in addition to the increase in phishing campaigns or malware attacks, child sexual exploitation through the Internet is on the increase.
Recently, in Portugal, DECO again warned consumers about the growing number of scams and online scams that are trying to take advantage of users' fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few weeks marked by the State of Emergency in the country, the Consumer Protection Association has identified large hundreds of scams.