Hackers Targeting People Seeking Coronavirus Information On Health Sites

Some people just want to watch the world burn. That seems to be the reason behind the recent attacks on the US Health and Human Services Department website, which serves as a clearinghouse for information relating to the Coronavirus outbreak.

As the virus has spread, more and more people have been heading to the HHS.gov website for news, advice and information.

The hackers, seeing this, decided it would be great fun to bring the site down. As such, an as yet unknown group decided to launch a DDoS (denial of service) attack against it.
Fortunately, the attack didn't have the desired effect, as reported by Bloomberg.

When their original plan didn't bear fruit, the hackers shifted gears and began spreading rumors of a national US quarantine and causing the hashtag #quarantine to spike. Things got so bad that the National Security Council (NSC) sent out a tweet in an attempt to quash the rumor. The NSC stated emphatically that there is no national lockdown and that any text or tweet bearing the hashtag #quarantine was spreading disinformation.

Sadly, this has become an increasingly common occurrence. Hackers around the world are taking advantage of the Coronavirus in a variety of ways. They're sometimes offering what appears to be health advisories that appear to come from legitimate sources in order to get malware installed on target systems.

In other cases, nefarious groups are offering to sell masks or miracle cures and collecting payment information from people desperate for those things. Naturally, once the payment information has been collected, no mask or cure is actually sent. Of course, the hopeful person who placed the order has to spend the next year or so of his or her life dealing with the fallout of identity theft.

Worst of all, we can expect to see a lot more of this as the pandemic grinds on. Make sure the people who report to you are aware and stay vigilant.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Florence now and let our team of IT experts set up the appropriate cybersecurity measures to protect your business from online threats. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Why Malware Poses The Biggest Threat To Businesses?

Worms, viruses, spyware, and Trojan horse. You’re probably familiar with a few of the most common security threats to businesses. Even if they have different names, they all fall under one category, a malicious software called malware. Knowing what this threat is and how it works is the first step to preventing it from bring your business down. With an expert IT team help your company, you can protect your business against malware.

What is malware?

Malware includes any software program that is created to carry out unauthorized actions on the computer, smartphone or tablet of another user. Here are a few things you need to know.

• -       There are over 5,000 malware attacks every day.
• -       It takes 25 days to resolve an average malware attack.
• -       A malware attack costs the affected business at least $3 million.
• -       More than 60% of the legitimate but compromised websites expose computers to malware.

How does malware work?

There are several ways a malware can disrupt a small business. A malware can do any of the following:

• -       Take full control of all the software running on your computer
• -       Take over your computer
• -       Change or delete all your files
• -       Steal confidential information
• -       Send malicious emails
• -       Install pop up messages that says your computer has been compromised
• -       Reformat your system and cause loss of information

Types of Malware

Trojan Horse – it is by far the most malicious type of malware. It is designed to make the user believe that they are using a secure program like an anti-virus scan. But what they don’t know is that they are programmed to steal financial and personal data. They will not just infect your device but also break into websites and change them so they could have more victims.

Virus – it is a type of code that can replicate, infects a software, and spread throughout the computer and even other computers that share the software.

Worms – it is a kind of malicious device that can replicate itself throughout the computer and destroy the information including the data files that are on saved on the PC of the host.

Adware – it is a type of software that gives adverts to the computer of their target. The advertisements are programmed to monitor the internet sites that their target visits frequently and to display related ads on them.

Spyware – it is a malicious software that will infiltrate your device and spy on you by monitoring your activities online. This will allow the cybercriminal to gather as much information about your system without your knowledge.

Ransomware – it is an advance type of malware that is capable of restricting access to a computer system until the user pays the ransom. A popup will appear on the screen that warns the user that he or she has been locked out of their system. Unless the user pays the ransom, he or she won’t have access to the computer.

Mobile malware – it is a malicious software that can infiltrate computers system through apps via social media and email.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you are looking for a team of IT experts who can help you set up the most effective cybersecurity measures that can protect your company against all kinds of malware.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

MASSIVE DARK WEB DUMP EXPOSES THOUSANDS OF PASSWORDS

Dark Web markets are buzzing from a large dump of nearly 25,000 email addresses and passwords this week, and potentially much more compromising information that could inflict serious damage. The credentials are reputed to be from public-health focused organizations including the World Health Organization, The Gates Foundation, the US National Institutes of Health, and similar agencies.

Even though these credentials are not thought to be new, cybercriminals can leverage this information to improve the accuracy of future attacks. WHO announced last week that cyberattacks against it have increased fivefold since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the attackers are looking to steal information about COVID-19 research and vaccine development to sell or trade for profit to corporate or intelligence community buyers.    

Even though password security is a well-known risk, many agencies have failed to take it seriously, continuing to use outdated tools and sloppy handling habits – an expert found that 48 passwords from the WHO dump were “password”!  

So how can companies prevent bad actors from using stolen login credentials against them? By employing a combination of two of our award-winning tools, companies can mitigate the risk of compromise that can come from a Dark Web password dump like this one.  

1. Multifactor authentication is essential. There’s a reason why most agencies and organizations that handle sensitive data use multifactor authentication – it works. Employing a secure identity access and management solution like Passly means that even if passwords are compromised in a dump, cybercriminals won’t get much use out of them.  

2. Dark Web monitoring provides an invaluable warning. This was a major league password dump, so it made the news. Smaller dumps occur every day, and your company’s login information could be in there. Find out if your company’s passwords, email or other sensitive data is available in Dark Web markets to take preventative action against a potential data breach with Dark Web ID.  

These solutions seamlessly work together to boost your cybersecurity both immediately and over time, packing a one-two punch that keeps cybercriminals away from your data and systems effectively and affordably – because no one can afford a cybersecurity disaster right now. 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of experts help you secure your network so it's better prepared to deal with the most common online threats. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com