The race to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the United States is placing an unprecedented burden on the country's cyber infrastructure, potentially making it as vulnerable as it has ever been.
At issue are the U.S. government agencies, thousands of businesses and millions of Americans, who suddenly have been forced to telework and rely on the security of their internet connections and good cyber hygiene, to keep businesses and services running.
The result, some officials warn, is an opening for anyone who would like to strike a virtual blow.
“We’re mindful that our adversaries often see opportunity in situations like these,” a U.S. official told VOA on the condition of anonymity, given the sensitive nature of the subject.
Both the FBI and private cybersecurity firms?warn the assault is already well underway.
“We're seeing a significant amount of threat in email, leveraging social engineering at scale to do a variety of attacks,” said Sherrod DeGrippo, senior director of threat research and detection at Proofpoint.
Some of the emails are designed to look like they are coming from legitimate agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO), using fear of the coronavirus to get a recipient to click on a malicious attachment or link.
Source : VOA