{"id":17688,"date":"2020-02-10T10:10:09","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T18:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2020\/02\/10\/news-11423\/"},"modified":"2020-02-10T10:10:09","modified_gmt":"2020-02-10T18:10:09","slug":"news-11423","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2020\/02\/10\/news-11423\/","title":{"rendered":"Battling online coronavirus scams with facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: David Ruiz| Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2020 16:56:49 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

Panic and confusion about the recent coronavirus outbreak spurred threat actors to launch several malware campaigns across the world, relying on a tried-and-true method to infect people\u2019s machines: fear. <\/p>\n

Cybercriminals targeted users in Japan with an Emotet campaign that included malicious Word documents<\/a> that allegedly contained information about coronavirus prevention. Malware embedded into PDFs, MP4s, and Docx files circulated online<\/a>, bearing titles that alluded to protection tips. Phishing emails that allegedly came from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC) were spotted, too. Malwarebytes also found a novel scam purporting to direct users to a donation page to help support government and medical research. <\/p>\n

All of these threats rely on the same dangerous intersection of misinformation and panic\u2014a classic and grotesque cybercrime tactic. A great defense to these is, quite simply, the truth. <\/p>\n

At Malwarebytes, we understand that safeguarding you from cyberthreats goes beyond technological protection. It also means giving you the information you need to make smart, safe decisions. Because of this, we\u2019re presenting verified resources and data about coronavirus that will hopefully steer users away from online threats. If you see a sketchy-looking email mentioning the virus (like the one we found below), don\u2019t open it. Instead, come here. If you want to immediately see what these online scams look like, scroll below. <\/p>\n

What is coronavirus?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to the World Health Organization, the current coronavirus that has infected thousands of people across the world is a single variant of a broader family of viruses, also called \u201ccoronavirus.\u201d This particular strain of coronavirus was first identified in the city of Wuhan in central China\u2019s Hubei province. It has the title \u201c2019-nCoV.\u201d Though 2019-nCoV is from the same family of coronaviruses as SARS\u2014which spread to 26 countries between 2002 and 2003<\/a>\u2014it is not the same virus. <\/p>\n

As of February 7, coronavirus has spread to at least 25 countries, including Australia, Vietnam, the United States, the Philippines, Nepal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, India, and more. Mexico has no reported cases\u2014the only country in North America to avoid the virus, it appears. Countries in South America, including Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile, have not reported any confirmed cases of the virus, either. While the majority of infections are reported in China, with 31,211 confirmed cases, the highest count of any other country is Singapore, with 30 cases. <\/p>\n

Full, daily reports on the virus\u2019 spread can be found at the World Health Organization\u2019s resource page here: Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation reports<\/a>. The situation reports also provide information about every country with confirmed coronavirus cases, and this Al Jazeera article compiles that information up to February 6<\/a>. <\/p>\n

According to a February 6 report in The Wall Street Journal that cites scientists and medical academics in China<\/a>, the recent coronavirus likely started in bats. <\/p>\n

According to the US Center for Disease Control<\/a>, coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. <\/p>\n

How can I protect myself from coronavirus?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Because coronavirus spreads from human-to-human contact, the best protection methods involve good hygiene. According to the WHO, individuals should: <\/p>\n