Beware - these are the worldwide hotspots for coronavirus malware

UK, India, and Brazil all identified by Google Cloud as cybercrime centers

Malware associated with the worldwide coronavirus pandemic is constant to be a threat to consumers around the world, new research has found.

Despite many countries now hoping to be over the worst of the pandemic, a report from Google Cloud has shown that unfortunately an outsized number of criminals and online fraudsters still spread coronavirus-themed malware and scams.

The company has detected a big rise in threats and scams, including coronavirus related malware, phishing, and spam emails, across most of the planet.

Coronavirus scams

"As the planet continues to adapt to the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, cyber threats are evolving also. From mimicking stimulus payments to providing purchase opportunities for items briefly supply, bad actors are tailoring attacks to mimic authoritative agencies or exploit fear of the pandemic," noted Neil Kumaran, Product Manager, Gmail Security, and Sam Lugani, Lead Security PMM, G Suite & GCP platform.

Google Cloud's report notes that several "regional hotspots" were detected in its investigation, each contributing high volumes of malware.

This includes the united kingdom, which has seen an increase in attackers imitating public sector organizations after its government announced measures to assist businesses, with attacks often masquerading as Google itself.

In India, Google Cloud noted a rise in scams targeting Aarogya Setu, an initiative by the Indian Government to attach people with essential health services, also as a rise in phishing scams targeting insurance companies as more citizens buy insurance.

Lastly in Brazil, there has been a growth in phishing attacks targeting streaming services as more people are turning to video-on-demand applications in lockdown.

Kumaran claimed that Gmail, "continues to dam quite 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware from reaching our users". the corporate is looking to counter new and evolving threats using AI-based protection including a deep-learning-based malware scanner that examines more than 300 billion documents hebdomadally.

"These protections, newly developed and already existing, have allowed us to react quickly and effectively to COVID-19-related threats, and can allow us to adapt quickly to new ones," Kumaran said.




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World News: Samsung confirms coronavirus case at South Korean factory

Factory pack up but set to reopen

A Samsung factory in South Korea was pack up after a confirmed case of coronavirus.

The facility in Gumi, near the southeastern city of Daegu, was closed until early Monday morning and therefore the floor on which the affected employee was performing on will remain shut until early tomorrow.

“The company has placed colleagues who came in touch with the infected employee in self-quarantine and brought steps to possess them tested for possible infection,” a spokesperson told Reuters.

• What is 5G? Everything you would like to understand 
• Foxconn to resume 'half production'
• Apple shuts all Chinese stores thanks to coronavirus

Samsung Coronavirus

Although the Gumi factory is merely liable for a little portion of Samsung’s total device output – the bulk of production takes place in India and Vietnam – it is an example of the potential disruption the coronavirus could wear the mobile industry.

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In China, there have thus far been quite 77,000 confirmed cases of the virus, which is spreading to other countries. Iran, Italy and South Korea itself all reporting a serious increase in cases over the weekend.

With China being a serious manufacturing hub and significant market there are concerns that the disruption might be significant. Many companies have instructed employees to figure from home and to minimize travel, however, the technology sector is viewed as a “critical” industry, exempt from many restrictions.

Foxconn, which may be a key assembler for several major device manufacturers, hopes to resume 80 percent production by March.

Nonetheless, there might be a big impact on China’s bid to be a pacesetter in 5G. The country has made next-generation networks an economic priority, however rollout is being hampered by logistical and manufacturing issues – not least the deployment of fiber cables that support radio infrastructure.

Huawei, however, has said the outbreak won't affect its ability to provide its customers with 5G equipment.




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