COVID-19 and Cybersecurity

On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared COVID-19 a public health emergency.[1] As the virus spread around the globe, cybercriminals quickly exploited the crisis for commercial gain. In the early months of 2020, as the global death toll rose, nations battled with the disease, and communities were at their most vulnerable, security professionals reported a substantial increase in online fraud, fake domains and charities, phishing attempts, the counterfeiting and piracy of COVID-19 related goods, the exploitation of government funds and loans, ransomware attacks . . .