The bad guys are going to have a ball with this one. President Trump announced that he and first lady Melania are COVID Positive. This event will be used in a variety of ways through social media disinformation, phishing attacks, and fake news just to name a few.
What To Do About It
Train all employees to especially watch out for any messaging related to this event and think before they click/ We strongly recommend you inoculate all your employees and we developed a new template to help you do this immediately.
Generally, whatever COVID ruse is being used, your users will wind up with either infected workstations at the house or in the office, giving out personal information or unleashing ransomware on your network. Give them a heads-up that especially now they need to stay on their toes with security top of mind.
I would send your employees, friends and family something like the following. Feel free to copy/paste/edit.
"Last week President Trump announced that he and the first lady were COVID positive and that they are quarantining themselves in the residence of the White house. A day later it was announced he was going to the Walter Reed hospital for observation. You can expect that bad guys are going to use this event in social media posts, phishing attacks and disinformation campaigns to shock and trick you into clicking on links or opening attachments. Don't fall for it. Remember to always Think Before You Click!
For KnowBe4 Customers, there are now well over 60 different Coronavirus-themed simulated phishing templates you can use to inoculate your users against this type of attack.
Let's stay safe out there, with tens of millions of people working from home.
Warm regards,
Stu Sjouwerman
Founder and CEO, KnowBe4, Inc.
