Since the beginning of the Corona pandemic at the end of 2019, cybercriminals have been exploiting fears of the Corona virus to spread malicious code via email. The criminals are doing this, for example, by establishing a relationship with the Corona virus in the contaminated emails, arguing emotionally or claiming a particular urgency. Many of the sensitized recipients fall for it, causing the entire IT network to become infected and allowing malware and ransomware to be spread unhindered.
Authentic looking emails from superiors
These attacks are particularly dangerous because the quality of fake and contaminated emails is now very high. For the inexperienced – and sometimes even the experienced – viewer, many of these emails seem authentic: they are often written in correct language, contain correct addresses and phone numbers, and are visually elaborately designed, including company logo and email disclaimer.
Attacks using the method of the so-called CxO Fraud are currently increasing. In this form of fraud, formerly known as CEO Fraud, the attackers pretend to be managers or other decision-makers of a company and encourage employees to transfer money to their accounts. In some cases, the identity of a superior is faked, in other cases that of a customer or supplier, for example, to send supposed invoices on his behalf.
