Hackers are making malware-infected coronavirus maps to harvest your personal information

A journalist with expertise on cybercrime reported on Thursday that hackers are trying to take advantage of the public’s concern about the COVID-19 pandemic to infect users’ computers with malware.

AlterNet logo“In one scheme, an interactive dashboard of Coronavirus infections and deaths produced by Johns Hopkins University is being used in malicious Web sites (and possibly spam emails) to spread password-stealing malware,” Brain Krebs, a former reporter for The Washington Post who now writes for the blog Krebs On Security, explained in an article on Thursday. “Late last month, a member of several Russian language cybercrime forums began selling a digital Coronavirus infection kit that uses the Hopkins interactive map as part of a Java-based malware deployment scheme. The kit costs $200 if the buyer already has a Java code signing certificate, and $700 if the buyer wishes to just use the seller’s certificate.”

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 map described by Krebs is an interactive dashboard of coronavirus infections and deaths available on the Johns Hopkins University website. The frequently-updated interactive map has been a popular online resource for those following the ongoing pandemic. Continue reading.

Putin: ‘Patriotic’ Hackers May Have Targeted The West

The following article by Mirren Gidda of Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website June 2, 2017:

(Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse; Natalia Kolesnikova/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has weighed in on the furor surrounding alleged Russian hacking. After multiple claims from Western officials that Russia has interfered in national elections, Putin conceded that some “patriotic” people may have been pushed to “fight against those who speak badly about Russia.”

During a meeting Thursday with editors of international news agencies, Putin nevertheless rejected allegations that the Russian state had meddled in the U.S. or French elections. According to AP, the president also denied claims that Russia might try to shape the September 24 German federal election. “We never engaged in that on a state level, and have no intention of doing so,” Putin said. He added that he has a good relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, despite her criticism of Moscow during a joint press conference early May. Continue reading “Putin: ‘Patriotic’ Hackers May Have Targeted The West”