Beware! Covid Crime Going ‘Viral' Online

Exploiting spike in Net usage amid lockdown, cyber crooks unleash a wave of phishing baits and Trojan malware that aim to steal bank details

- Chayyanika Nigam

Extending help to Coronavirus affected people, South Delhi-based real estate consultant Badal Srivastava donated Rs 5,100. “I got an SMS seeking donations for Covid-19 warriors and victims. To do my bit, I sent Rs 5,100 through e-wallet but didn’t receive any notification thereafter. When I checked properly, I found I’d been conned,” he said.

Like Srivastava, hundreds of people are getting duped by cybercriminals cashing in on the forced lockdown and the resultant ‘work from home’ practice. They have created Coronavirus-themed phishing lures, malware infections, network intrusions, scams and disinformation campaigns.

Phishing, a widely-used tactic by scammers, uses an email that appears to be from a reputable source and attempts to trick recipients into handing over sensitive personal information like usernames, passwords, and credit card information.

TROJAN WARNING

Even as the Coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill, there has been a multiple-fold increase in cyber attacks, say experts. Internet usage has drastically shot up with most office-goers working from home and students taking online classes. Amid all this, cyber crooks are busy writing malicious programmes, phishing attacks, and malware targeted at unsuspecting victims.

According to a source in CERT-in, hours after PM Narendra Modi announced the PM CARES Fund, dozens of similar-sounding websites or phishing messages were created and circulated over the Internet. Delhi Police cyber cell officials said they came across 80 fake UPI IDs that were created around the same time in March when PM Modi announced the fund.