Cyber Safety & COVID-19

The current outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has introduced new cybersecurity risks both at NIH and across the globe. As targeted phishing attacks prey on our desire to access trustworthy information and many of us make a shift toward remote work, we all need to be vigilant and take accountability for cyber safety. Be Vigilant – Protect Against Phishing Attacks Phishing attacks related to COVID-19 are on the rise. Over the past few weeks, several federal agencies and international organizations, including the World Health Organization, have issued cybersecurity alerts about criminal groups who are exploiting the pandemic for their own gain. INTERPOL also issued a targeted warning to hospitals and healthcare institutions at the forefront of the COVID-19 response about ransomware attacks that, “are designed to lock them out of their critical systems in an attempt to extort payments.” In order to mitigate the risk of these attacks, we all need to know how to recognize and report phishing messages, which can serve as a gateway for malicious actors to enter our systems. Here are a few tips: Know how to report phishing messages in your inbox. Phishing emails are real and can show up in our inboxes at any time. That’s why we all have to feel comfortable identifying and reporting them using the “Report Phishing” button in Outlook (or the equivalent feature in another email system) if a message seems suspicious.Get your information o...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - Category: Research Authors: Tags: blog Open Mike coronavirus COVID19 cybersecurity Source Type: funding