{"id":413774,"date":"2021-01-13T06:06:59","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T11:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=413774"},"modified":"2021-01-13T06:06:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T11:06:59","slug":"report-cyber-criminals-continue-to-benefit-from-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/report-cyber-criminals-continue-to-benefit-from-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Cyber Criminals Continue to Benefit from COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nAvira warns of cyber-attacks that lure users with “COVID-19” and “Corona” in annual threat report.
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San Jose, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to\u00a0Avira’s\u00a02020 Report on Cybersecurity, cyber criminals\u00a0benefited greatly from COVID-19.\u00a0With a world eager for information, malware authors developed a wide variety of strategies to exploit users\u2019 fears and need for answers around the virus, from\u00a0malware which enables cyber attackers to read credit card data to\u00a0vaccine based scams targeting the elderly in order to gain access to personal\u00a0payment\u00a0data.\u00a0Overall,\u00a0cyber-attacks\u00a0increased by 15%\u00a0worldwide compared to\u00a02019.\u00a0Further\u00a0the rate\u00a0of scams overall rose and\u00a0fell\u00a0at the same rate and time as the virus appeared\u00a0across the world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

“For many years, authors\u00a0of malware have been using psychological tricks to lure unsuspecting users,”\u00a0said\u00a0Alexander Vukcevic,\u00a0Director\u00a0of Avira Protection Labs.\u00a0“Currently,\u00a0we are in a situation where many people are looking for answers and are worried because of COVID-19. The authors of malware are specifically exploiting this uncertainty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Since the beginning of the pandemic, special variants of well-known malware families have emerged to trap unsuspecting users with the catchphrase “Corona” or “COVID-19”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n Banking Trojan “Cerberus” lures with “Corona<\/strong>
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One example\u00a0of\u00a0this\u00a0is a variant of the Android banking Trojan “Cerberus”, which is often distributed under the name “Corona-Apps.apk” via phishing campaigns. The keyword “Corona” is intended to entice Android users to install the Trojan on their smartphone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the Avira report, the number of Android banking Trojans detected in 2020 increased by 35\u00a0percentage\u00a0points\u00a0compared to the previous year, which is\u00a0due\u00a0in part to increased\u00a0mobile banking activities this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Banking Trojans have always played an important role in the Android malware scene and this year\u00a0they\u00a0had an even bigger presence. In addition to the strategy of using COVID-19 as a cover, they also use the classic approach: they disguise themselves as a widely used app and ask for unusual permissions in order to obtain credit card data, for example,” Vukcevic said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n COVID-19 as a driver for cyber attacks<\/strong>
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Overall, Avira Protection Labs recorded an increase in malware attacks of around 15%\u00a0compared to\u00a02019\u00a0with a significant increase particularly in the first and last months of 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the number of all\u00a0cyber-attacks\u00a0blocked by Avira increased this year\u00a0at\u00a0the same rate\u00a0as the pandemic spread.\u00a0During\u00a0the first wave of the pandemic in\u00a0April, the number of malware attacks also reached its first peak. As the scale of the pandemic diminished in the summer, so did the number of attacks. Since the beginning of the second wave in October, the number of malware attacks has been rising rapidly again.\u00a0There would appear to be a direct correlation between the number of attacks and the number of people working from home, this may be down to cybercriminals knowing that people are often more vulnerable to certain types\u00a0of\u00a0attacks when\u00a0away from a secure office environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n Increasing threat in 2021: Stalkerware<\/strong>
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Another malware that actively camouflages itself and, according to Avira, will become increasingly important in the coming year is\u00a0stalkerware. Apps that are detected as stalkerware are a type of spyware that can endanger the privacy of users and the security of the system. These spy apps can be installed without the knowledge or consent of the device owner, to secretly monitor them and spy on personal information such as pictures, videos, messages and location data. To disguise their activities, they use a stealth mode that allows the app to run invisibly in the background.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Due to the increasing activity of stalkerware apps in the Android environment, Avira\u00a0is\u00a0an active member in\u00a0the\u00a0Coalition Against\u00a0Stalkerware\u00a0to support their fight against this threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More information and an analysis of a typical stalkerware app\u00a0is\u00a0available in this\u00a0blog article.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Avira Annual Threat Report 2020<\/strong>\u00a0is available here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.avira.com\/en\/state-of-cybersecurity-2020\u00a0<\/p>\n

More\u00a0information and tips for safe online banking and shopping\u00a0are available at the following link:\u00a0https:\/\/www.avira.com\/en\/avira-annual-report-2020\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n About Avira<\/strong>
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Avira provides a consumer-focused portfolio of security and privacy solutions for Windows,\u00a0Mac,\u00a0Android and iOS, home networks, and smart devices (IoT). All Avira features are available as licensed SDKs and APIs. Working together, Avira and its partners protect more than 500 million devices globally. Avira solutions consistently achieve best-in-class results from independent security tests.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Avira is headquartered near Lake Constance, Germany, with additional offices in the EU, the United States, and Asia. For more information about Avira visit\u202fwww.avira.com.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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