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News May 21, 2020

Cyberattacks increase as more people work remotely

As more people work remotely amid the COVID-19 crisis, explicit COVID-19-related cyberattacks emerge daily, increasing the volume of threats, according to www.constructiondive.com.

In January, computer security software company McAfee began detecting pieces of mobile malware disguised as apps for body temperature checks or other functions. The cyberthreats began to broaden, and Raj Samani, chief scientist at McAfee, said “it’s like we’ve kicked over a hornet’s nest.”

Other cyberattacks exploit the circumstances related to the outbreak, such as people logging on from unsecure devices.

Samani said although most security software will stop most of the attacks, many attacks are “hiding in plain sight” in fragmented threats indirectly related to COVID-19.

Businesses with a remote workforce need more awareness for traditionally consumer-targeted threats. People are tempted to click on corrupt links about COVID-19 because people are anxious and want information. Employees might be fooled by attacks on their internet service providers, streaming services, or websites disguised as aids for small-business loans.

Between January and March, internet-exposed Remote Desktop Protocol ports have increased from 3 million to 4.5 million, with the most belonging to the U.S. Access to an RDP box grants an attacker scope of an entire network. The most vulnerable systems reportedly are running Windows Servers.

COVID-19 cyberattacks put construction companies and other organizations on high alert. Distribution of malicious software or viruses via web domains is spiking. Key words associated with COVID-19 are mixed in with phony sites and phishing campaigns. Campaigns with luring mechanisms are delivering malware, including keyloggers, banking Trojans and remote administration tools.

“There's nothing that I would say, ‘We’ve not seen that before,’” Samani said. It’s “just the sheer volume of just everything under the sun.”

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