4/8/20 - Exploiting the Coronavirus: Is the CDC Closing Your Facility?

4/8/20 – Exploiting the Coronavirus: Is the CDC Closing Your Facility?

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the bad guys find increasingly creative ways to weaken your defenses. The newest phishing trend is an email that appears to be from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The email has an intense subject line: “NOTICE OF CLOSING YOUR FACILITY AND DISINFECT NG THE AREA – BY NCDC WH 20982 COV-19 Due To Recent Corona Virus COVID-19 Pandemic.”

You’re instructed to download an attachment which is supposedly a letter from the CDC claiming that they will close your facility. If you download the file, you’d find that it is actually a malicious program designed to gain access to your company’s sensitive information. Don’t be tricked!

How to beat the bad guys:

• Think before you click. These malicious actors are playing with your emotions and this threat relies on panicked clicking.
• Never click a link or download an attachment from an email you weren’t expecting. Remember, even if the sender appears to be a legitimate organization, the email address could be spoofed.
• If you receive a suspicious email that claims to be from an official organization such as the CDC or WHO (World Health Organization), report the email to the official organization through their website.