Scammers are currently sending blackmail emails threatening to infect the recipient and his family with the new Corona virus.

The blackmailers claim to have access to the computer and to know exactly the recipient's habits and whereabouts. As proof, the scammers provide a password used by the victim. The passwords come from old data leaks. Ignore these fake emails. If you still use the given password for Internet services, change it immediately. In recent weeks, media have reported several ransomware cases in which unknown perpetrators encrypted the systems of Swiss SMEs and large companies, rendering them unusable. The attackers made ransom demands of tens of thousands of Swiss francs, and in some cases of millions.

Phishing emails with malware are also being sent in the name of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO warns users accordingly on its website. Below is a screenshot of the WHO phishing email.

In Germany, too, criminals are increasingly picking up the phone and calling unsettled senior citizens. Fraudsters are currently said to have increasingly posed on the phone as relatives who have contracted the corona virus and are asking for cash, as various police departments reported last week. Other forms of attack via telephone and in combination with faked e-mail addresses of HR or finance departments have been increasingly observed in the last year on Swiss companies.

CEO fraud in particular is a scam in which companies are manipulated into transferring money using false identities.

In such cases, the CRYPTRON Security Team recommends contacting the local or cantonal authorities directly and having the sender number blocked by the Internet Service Provider. On a modern smartphone, the sender numbers can also be blocked and the following measures should be observed in this regard:

• No confidential conversations about asset status or banking, or financial transactions with unknown persons on the phone.
• No information about whereabouts (e.g. when are you at home, when are you out) or address details to unknown persons over the phone
• Blocking the sender number at the Internet Service Provider such as Swisscom and blocking the number on your smartphone

As a vendor-independent service provider, CRYPTRON Security GmbH sees itself as a consultant for all information security issues. The goal is exclusively to fulfill the needs and diverse requirements regarding information security in an optimal way. In addition to technical expertise, this also includes a very performance-oriented and cost-optimized understanding in the implementation of customer-specific requirements.

The CRYPTRON Security Team is at your disposal for any questions and is looking forward to your call.

Ressources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus_disease_2019
https://www.who.int/about/communications/cyber-security
https://www.melani.admin.ch/melani/de/home/themen/CEO-Fraud.html
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware