If you’re a sentient being, you’ve most likely been affected in some way by the coronavirus, and taken steps to minimize personal health risks. But have you been cognizant of potential cyber risks? It’s been said that you should never let a good crisis go to waste – which is sadly, the mindset of most cybercriminals. With mass hysteria on the rise, cybercriminals are taking advantage of corona panic to find ways to install malware, implement ransomware attacks, send out phishing campaigns, and more.

What are the primary threats?

Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company, has reported a substantial increase in domain registrations connected to the coronavirus, which are likely “being used to either pilfer information from recipients or infect them with malware,” according to Forbes. Cybersecurity experts who have analyzed the report indicated that the following domains showed signs of malicious purpose or potential risk:

  • corona-virus[.]healthcare
  • survivecoronavirus[.]org
  • vaccine-coronavirus[.]com
  • coronavirus[.]cc
  • bestcoronavirusprotect[.]tk
  • coronavirusupdate[.]tk
  • coronavirusstatus[.]space
  • coronavirus-map[.]com
  • blogcoronacl.canalcero[.]digital
  • coronavirus[.]zone
  • coronavirus-realtime[.]com
  • coronavirus[.]app
  • bgvfr.coronavirusaware[.]xyz
  • coronavirusaware[.]xyz

To protect yourself, avoid visiting any of the sites above, and be on the alert for any emails which originate from any of the above domains. Don’t click on links or download any attachments from such emails – just delete.

U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre has remarked:

Techniques seen since the start of the year include bogus emails with links claiming to have important updates, which once clicked on lead to devices being infected. These ‘phishing’ attempts have been seen in several countries and can lead to loss of money and sensitive data.

Sketchy websites and phishing campaigns are just the tip of the iceberg, however. Cybersecurity experts have found at least one confirmed coronavirus map that implements malware on affected devices. And there is even a ransomware attack named “Coronavirus” by its creators in hopes of further capitalizing on pandemic hysteria.

It’s not just your personal health at stake in the global pandemic crisis – countless cybercriminals would like to threaten your personal information as well by playing off coronavirus concerns. Stay informed, don’t download attachments or open links from unknown senders, and be wary of what apps you download and sites you visit.