Potential Hoaxes Using Coronavirus Fake News

The fake news or false news gained notoriety in recent times, mainly for two reasons: due to the ease and speed with which they spread, and because of the impact they can generate and that is, as the new coronavirus spreading in China spreading around the world, hackers use fear and confusion to spread computer viruses in increasingly sophisticated ways.

The issue is so sensitive that even the WHO has used the term infodemic to refer to the practice of spreading false news or incorrect information related to the pandemic, given that in the current context, disinformation represents a more serious problem as it has the ability to put the health and integrity of people at risk. Since the circulation of COVID-19 spread globally, misinformation has promoted, among other things, that someone with symptoms experiment with remedies that lacked scientific evidence to demonstrate their effectiveness in the hope of being cured or that those who live in countries with hot climates did not have to worry of course, only lies.

It is not new that phishing campaigns are taking hold of the news, but information security experts say that the increase in attacks related to covid-19, the disease that causes the new coronavirus, is the worst seen in years.

Coronavirus fake news

An example is a message from a mysterious doctor who claims to have a document with details about a coronavirus vaccine that is being covered up by the governments of China and the United Kingdom.

And it is known that curious recipients who click on the document are taken to what looks like a normal and reliable Docusign page, but is actually a website created by the criminals themselves to obtain their login details. Once they get the username and password, they take over your documents, plus they get access to any other site that uses the same email and password.

Unfortunately what we are seeing is still growing and the numbers are expected to grow, of course, as the virus continues to spread, also the best thing you can do is ignore these types of messages, instead visit the official website from the institution or its social media channels to see its latest advice.

See also:
What are Fake News and how does they affect us?
Cybercriminals are targeting health institutions

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