Multinational Response To Malicious Online Activities Related To COVID-19

On April 8, 2020, a multinational alert was issued, warning individuals to remain vigilant for COVID-19-related malicious cyber activity. The warning was jointly issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Both CISA and NCSC report a growing use of COVID-19-related themes by malicious cyber actors against individuals and organizations of all sizes. Additionally, the rapid increase of remote workers has in some cases led to the use of less secure services, further increasing the risk that bad actors may gain access to sensitive information. In particular, efforts to exploit popular online platforms, video tools, and virtual networks are increasing in number as companies have quickly transitioned to partial or full remote work environments. NCSC has further observed phishing attempts being carried out through text messages, especially with