Cybercriminals are using the coronavirus outbreak to steal the information of vulnerable people in Japan. Using the panic of the outbreak, hackers are spreading the Emotet trojan which is a common type of malware. This malware has been linked to and effective at attacking both financial and government institutions. Discovered by technology giant IBM, the company found that these criminals were, “Sending emails under the guise of being part of a disability welfare service provider in Japan.”
The messages sent incorrectly claim that there are reports of coronavirus patients in the Gifu, Tottori and Osaka areas in Japan. They continue in the email urging victims to read an attached Microsoft Word document which contains the Emotet trojan.
IBM researchers note that this kind of attack will be significantly more successful because of the very real fears many people, especially those in Asia, have about the spread of the coronavirus, which was declared a public health emergency on Thursday.
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 