Hackers exploit coronavirus by creating hundreds of fake websites to steal data and make profit 

While the coronavirus spreads across the globe, hackers are taking advantage of the pandemic to steal data and make a profit. 

Cybersecurity experts reveal that since January more than 4,000 coronavirus-related domains have been registered and some 300 are deemed ‘malicious’ or ‘suspicious’.

A new report, released by Check Point, found that domains about the virus are 50 percent more likely to be owned by cybercriminals than other domains registered during the same time period.

Omer Dembinksy, security researcher at Check Point, told DailyMail.com that fraudulent sites offering information or test kits in order to gather people’s information or receive payment.

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While the coronavirus spreads across the globe, hackers are taking advantage of the pandemic to steal data and money from the public. Cybersecurity experts reveal that since January more than 4,000 coronavirus-related domains have been registered and some 300 are deemed ‘malicious’ or ‘suspicious’

‘There is going to be a big increase in malicious coronavirus-themed websites over the next few months, but they will begin to slow as time goes on, Dembinksy told DailyMail.com in an interview.

‘We found that the current malicious domains are asking users fill out details or provide payment.’

‘Hackers are also sending emails prompting users to download a file claiming to offer more information about the virus, which gives them access to the user’s computer.’ 

The coronavirus from Wuhan is one which has never been seen before this outbreak. It has been named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. 

The name stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2.

Check Point discovered a range of malicious websites using people's fears in order to benefit themselves. One in particular claims to be selling 'the best and fastest test for Coronavirus detection at the fantastic price of 19,000 Russian rubles (about US$300)

Check Point discovered a range of malicious websites using people’s fears in order to benefit themselves. One in particular claims to be selling ‘the best and fastest test for Coronavirus detection at the fantastic price of 19,000 Russian rubles (about US$300) 

Other web

Other web

The firm also discovered a phishing campaign floating around the web in Italy where more than 3,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported and a total of 107 have died. The attack was found to hit over 10 percent of all organizations in Italy

The firm also discovered a phishing campaign floating around the web in Italy where more than 3,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported and a total of 107 have died. The attack was found to hit over 10 percent of all organizations in Italy

Experts say the bug, which has killed around one in 50 patients since the outbreak began in December, is a ‘sister’ of the SARS illness which hit China in 2002, so has been named after it.

The disease that the virus causes has been named COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019.

To date, there are more than 97 cases and 3,000 deaths reported across the globe.

Check Point discovered a range of malicious websites using people’s fears in order to benefit themselves.

One in particular claims to be selling ‘the best and fastest test for Coronavirus detection at the fantastic price of 19,000 Russian rubles (about US$300).’

‘When looking at websites, we need to use common sense,’ Dembinksy said.

‘If the website is offering something that seems too good to be true or asking you to fill out details about yourself or payments, then it is most likely owned by hackers.’

‘Websites that provide information are usually running mining activity in the background and can take control of your computer when you download a file.’

‘As a precaution, do not visit websites you are not familiar with.’

‘When you do a search for coronavirus, the first few results are usually well trusted.’

The coronavirus from Wuhan is one which has never been seen before this outbreak. It has been named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. To date, there are more than 97 cases and 3,000 deaths reported across the globe

The coronavirus from Wuhan is one which has never been seen before this outbreak. It has been named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. To date, there are more than 97 cases and 3,000 deaths reported across the globe

The firm also discovered a phishing campaign floating around the web in Italy where more than 3,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported and a total of 107 have died.

The attack was found to hit over 10 percent of all organizations in Italy, which exploited people’s fears about coronavirus gain access and mine people’s computers.

The email contained a malicious document file, named f###########.doc (#=digit) and with the email subject ‘Coronavirus: Informazioni importanti su precauzioni’ (English translation- Coronavirus: Important information about precautions).

The body of the email reads: ‘Due to the number of cases of coronavirus infection that have been documented in your area, the World Health Organization has prepared a document that includes all the necessary precautions against coronavirus infection.’

To make it seem more legitimate, hackers signed it using a name of a doctor from World Health Organization (WHO) based in Italy.

‘We did a search online and could not find a doctor by the name of Penelope Marchetti with WHO or Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità (OMS),’ Check Point explained in the paper.

‘Also, the senders’ email addresses are not from official WHO or OMS domains, and most of them were not Italian at all.’

The fraudulent document contains a Trojan-Downloader that attacks the user’s computer and enables hackers to mine it for data.

Dembinksy explained that he and the team at Check Point monitor the internet during big events, such as holidays, disasters and outbreaks, to see where the traffic is going in order to spot these online threats.

‘If there is an Olympics this year, you will some more malicious websites and phishing emails begin to pop-up based on the event.’

‘I have seen the same happen during the ash cloud in Iceland and during tsunami warnings.’

‘Hackers utilize people’s fears for their benefit.’

CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL TIPS

As the novel coronavirus spreads across the globe, health experts advise plane travelers to sit in a window seat, disinfect their table trays and window blinds, and warn that wearing a mask won’t prevent infection.

Officials say the best way to avoid catching the virus, which is spread through viral particles within mucus or saliva, is to keep your hands clean, disinfect your space, and avoid touching your face.

It is also advised that plane travelers choose a window seat to have less contact with potentially sick people.

‘Book a window seat, try not to move during the flight, stay hydrated and keep your hands away from your face,’ Vicki Stover Hertzberg, professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, said.

'Book a window seat, try not to move during the flight, stay hydrated and keep your hands away from your face,' a professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, said

‘Book a window seat, try not to move during the flight, stay hydrated and keep your hands away from your face,’ a professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, said

Hertzberg helped conduct a study that followed passengers and crew members on 10 three to five-hour flights during the flu season and found that passengers who sit in the window seats had less contact with ill people. 

Wearing a mask on the plane may not prove helpful as the air in the aircraft is considered sterile because there are so few microorganisms at such a high altitude and the plane draws fresh air from the outside. 

About 50 percent of the air in cabins is recirculated but it goes through sophisticated air filters similar to those used in surgical environments, before it’s its pushed back into the plane. 

A problem with paper masks is that they don’t have a respirator to filter out infectious air articles.

That means passengers are more likely to catch the virus through direct contact from someone with the virus or surfaces rather than through the air.

But one study found that the other coronaviruses – such as SARS and MERS – remains on metal, glass, and plastic surfaces for up to nine days. 

Top tips include:

– Good hand hygiene: Frequently wash hands for at least 20 seconds or using hand sanitzer

– Disinfect your space: Bring your own wipes and wipe down window blinds, seat belts, arm rests, touch screens and tray tables

– Choose a window seat: Sit near the window and avoid moving around the cabin to limit exposure to potentially sick people

– Use touch screen with a tissue: Avoid contact with surfaces that may hold the virus

– Avoid touching your face: 2019-nCov is spread through viral particles in mucus or saliva. Avoid touching your face and transferring germs picked up from surfaces