{"id":2375,"date":"2023-09-01T02:50:26","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T02:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kleetos.com\/?p=2375"},"modified":"2025-04-03T05:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T05:44:07","slug":"privacy-alert-scammers-using-fake-coronavirus-notifications-to-spread-ransomware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/privacy-alert-scammers-using-fake-coronavirus-notifications-to-spread-ransomware\/","title":{"rendered":"PRIVACY ALERT: Scammers using fake Coronavirus notifications to spread ransomware"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2375\" class=\"elementor elementor-2375\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-658cdc08 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"658cdc08\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-62eebfc0\" data-id=\"62eebfc0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ddbd2a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ddbd2a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/secure-clinic-messaging-scammers-use-fake-coronavirus-notifications-brightsquid-blog.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-3007\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/secure-clinic-messaging-scammers-use-fake-coronavirus-notifications-brightsquid-blog.jpg 812w, https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/secure-clinic-messaging-scammers-use-fake-coronavirus-notifications-brightsquid-blog-300x137.jpg 300w, https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/secure-clinic-messaging-scammers-use-fake-coronavirus-notifications-brightsquid-blog-768x352.jpg 768w, https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/secure-clinic-messaging-scammers-use-fake-coronavirus-notifications-brightsquid-blog-650x298.jpg 650w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-452423cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"452423cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><strong>WARNING:<\/strong><\/h4>\nComputer viruses like ransomware are being spread by taking advantage of your natural instinct to act quickly and stay informed. Cyber criminals are adapting the messages they\u2019re sending out in their spam emails and phishing attacks to focus on COVID-19. Insurance companies are warning businesses to educate staff about these new types of attacks.\n\nHere is a sample of the types of messages hackers are sending out attempting to get you to click dangerous links:\n<ul>\n \t<li>Expert protection advice<\/li>\n \t<li>\u201cInteresting facts\u201d<\/li>\n \t<li>Disease centre alerts<\/li>\n \t<li>Information on the spread of COVID-19<\/li>\n \t<li>Offers to invest in cures<\/li>\n \t<li>Economic analysis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThese emails can contain malicious links and files that will infect your computers and your network, or direct you to websites that might look legitimately like they belong to a health authority but are really there to steal important information. These attacks are designed to breach the privacy of the patient information in your care.\n\nRead about the flood of COVID-19 cyber scams\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/information-technology\/2020\/03\/the-internet-is-drowning-in-covid-19-related-malware-and-phishing-scams\/\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.\n\nRead about the growth of COVID-19 themed cyber attacks in healthcare\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/coronavirus-cyberattacks-ransomware-phishing\/\">here<\/a>.\n\nIt is important to stay vigilant. Over 90% of patients state they expect you to protect the privacy of the information trusted to you. Privacy regulations are not on hold, you still have responsibility to protect patient information. Getting through this crisis just to come face to face with privacy breach investigations will only make recovery more arduous.\n\nWe\u2019re here to help you get through this safely. Now is the time to ramp up usage of your Secure-Mail account to communicate securely with patients and other providers.\n\nYour Secure-Mail does not allow these types of messages through. And, you can invite anyone, including patients to communicate with you for free.\n\nTo learn more about how you can use Secure-Mail to protect your practice during this crisis, visit\u00a0<a target=\"blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.\/hc\/en-us\">https:\/\/support.brightsquid.com\/hc\/en-us<\/a>.\n<p class=\"has-padding-top\">To request your free Secure-Mail account visit\u00a0<a  \nhref=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/pages\/virtual-care-for-covid-19\">https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/pages\/virtual-care-for-covid-19<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WARNING: Computer viruses like ransomware are being spread by taking advantage of your natural instinct to act quickly and stay informed. Cyber [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brightsquid-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Scammers Use Fake COVID-19 Notifications | Brighsquid Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Clinics are warned as cyber criminials have been using fake coronavirus notification links as means of spreading ransomware.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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