{"id":116213,"date":"2020-07-21T06:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paloaltonetworks.com\/blog\/?p=116213"},"modified":"2020-10-09T12:48:38","modified_gmt":"2020-10-09T19:48:38","slug":"unit-42-cybercrime-gold-rush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/origin-researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/unit-42-cybercrime-gold-rush\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19: The Cybercrime Gold Rush of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you told me at the start of 2020 that for the first time in the history of cybersecurity, we\u2019d see every industry and every type of device across the globe targeted by attacks based around a single theme, I wouldn\u2019t have believed you. If you told me this theme would hinge on exploiting a global pandemic and attackers would target even medical researchers on the front lines trying to stop this disease, I wouldn\u2019t have believed that either. Yet, here we are, and our reality indeed includes a cybercrime gold rush aimed at taking advantage of COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just last week, the United Kingdom\u2019s National Cyber Security Centre, Canada\u2019s Communications Security Establishment and the United States National Security Agency issued a <\/span>joint advisory<\/span><\/a> detailing how Cozy Bear (APT29) were employed by the Russian government to target organizations involved in COVID-19 vaccine development within those three countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers on the Unit 42 threat intelligence team at Palo Alto Networks are closely tracking a plethora of COVID-19-themed cyber attacks that have emerged around the world over the past few months. Since the beginning of this year, <\/span>we\u2019ve identified more than 40,000 newly registered websites<\/span><\/a>, using a coronavirus-related name, which we\u2019d classify as \u201chigh-risk\u201d sites due to the scams and malware being pushed onto unsuspecting consumers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with <\/span>a lack of trust in the government and media as reliable sources of information<\/span><\/a>, has ultimately created a perfect storm for cybercriminals to have greater success. People are constantly looking for new sources of supplies and information, and cybercriminals have taken the opportunity to exploit this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Attackers have honed in on the opportunity around people searching for COVID-19 updates and shopping for essential goods online by <\/span>creating profit-motivated attacks<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve found:<\/span><\/p>\n