BENGALURU: With a vaccine the only way to fight the pandemic, the darknet has been flooded with hundreds of domains that promise “vaccines” at a price – in some cases up to $ 250.
In its latest report, Check Point Research, a global cyber security company, found a number of posts on the internet from sources claiming to have a range of “coronavirus vaccines” or remedies for sale.
From “Available Coronavirus Vaccine US $ 250” to “Say Goodbye to Covid-19 = Chloroquine Phosphate” and “Buy Fast. The Coronavirus Vaccine is Available Now.” The range of drugs is extensive.
The results are close to Europol, the EU law enforcement agency, which issued an early warning last week. “If a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available, it will likely not be available for sale online. However, fraudulent drugs that are allegedly used to treat or prevent Covid-19 are already available both offline and online, ”the statement said.
The Check Point report states, “All of the vendors we have found insist on paying with Bitcoin as this minimizes the likelihood of tracing and raises further doubts about the authenticity of the drugs they sell. In communication with a vendor, they offered to sell an unspecified Covid-19 vaccine for 0.01 BTC (about $ 300), claiming that 14 doses would be required. This advice contradicts official announcements that some vaccines require two vaccinations, 3 weeks apart, per person. ”
1k + new domains
November’s positive news about vaccine trials and imminent availability have seen a surge in new web domains related to Covid-19 or vaccines, the report said. According to Check Point, 1,062 new domains containing the word “vaccine” have been registered since early November. Of these, 400 also contain “covid” or “corona”.
These numbers correspond to the numbers for the past three months (August, September and October) combined, the report said. It has also been found that in addition to trying to sell counterfeit vaccines, cyber criminals have also been using vaccine messages as bait for phishing campaigns.
Some emails have been found delivering malicious “.exe files” called “Download_Covid 19 New Approved Vaccines.23.07.2020.exe” that install an InfoStealer that can collect credentials, usernames and passwords for threat actors Accounts.
2021 threat perception
The company described the pandemic as an extremely rare but impactful event that derailed business. According to separate research, 58% of security professionals have reported an increase in cyber threats since bans were imposed.
Hackers have also tried to take advantage of the disruptions caused by the pandemic, and “pharmaceutical companies developing vaccines will continue to face malicious attacks from criminals or nation-states who want to take advantage of the situation,” the report said.
That being said, a number of phishing activities were predicted, including targeting parents with distance learning and increased malware attacks.
In its latest report, Check Point Research, a global cyber security company, found a number of posts on the internet from sources claiming to have a range of “coronavirus vaccines” or remedies for sale.
From “Available Coronavirus Vaccine US $ 250” to “Say Goodbye to Covid-19 = Chloroquine Phosphate” and “Buy Fast. The Coronavirus Vaccine is Available Now.” The range of drugs is extensive.
The results are close to Europol, the EU law enforcement agency, which issued an early warning last week. “If a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available, it will likely not be available for sale online. However, fraudulent drugs that are allegedly used to treat or prevent Covid-19 are already available both offline and online, ”the statement said.
The Check Point report states, “All of the vendors we have found insist on paying with Bitcoin as this minimizes the likelihood of tracing and raises further doubts about the authenticity of the drugs they sell. In communication with a vendor, they offered to sell an unspecified Covid-19 vaccine for 0.01 BTC (about $ 300), claiming that 14 doses would be required. This advice contradicts official announcements that some vaccines require two vaccinations, 3 weeks apart, per person. ”
1k + new domains
November’s positive news about vaccine trials and imminent availability have seen a surge in new web domains related to Covid-19 or vaccines, the report said. According to Check Point, 1,062 new domains containing the word “vaccine” have been registered since early November. Of these, 400 also contain “covid” or “corona”.
These numbers correspond to the numbers for the past three months (August, September and October) combined, the report said. It has also been found that in addition to trying to sell counterfeit vaccines, cyber criminals have also been using vaccine messages as bait for phishing campaigns.
Some emails have been found delivering malicious “.exe files” called “Download_Covid 19 New Approved Vaccines.23.07.2020.exe” that install an InfoStealer that can collect credentials, usernames and passwords for threat actors Accounts.
2021 threat perception
The company described the pandemic as an extremely rare but impactful event that derailed business. According to separate research, 58% of security professionals have reported an increase in cyber threats since bans were imposed.
Hackers have also tried to take advantage of the disruptions caused by the pandemic, and “pharmaceutical companies developing vaccines will continue to face malicious attacks from criminals or nation-states who want to take advantage of the situation,” the report said.
That being said, a number of phishing activities were predicted, including targeting parents with distance learning and increased malware attacks.