Don’t be fooled by video conferencing links – Omikron surge &… pishing

Due to the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus and the increasing number of infections, the government has introduced remote working in public administration. He also called for the model to be introduced on a large scale in enterprises. Cybercriminals, who have been targeting popular video conferencing platforms since the pandemic emerged, certainly haven’t missed this information.

Online scammers and criminals are always trying to correlate their activities with popular trends seen in the virtual space. This was the case during the shopping season and the period of increased e-commerce traffic, and it will continue to be the case with the increasing number of teleconferences held on popular platforms every day. So we can expect cybercriminals to step up the intensity of phishing campaigns that use video platforms in the near future.

– Such phishing attempts include. on sending emails that contain fake links encouraging users to download a new version of software. The link directs the victim to a website where the alleged installation file can be downloaded – says Robert Dąbrowski, head of Fortinet’s engineering team in Poland.

In some cases, the program actually installs video conferencing software, but, regardless, it also installs malware such as. remote access Trojan. – The scheme gives fraudsters access to your sensitive data and information, which can then be stolen and sold on the black market or used for identity theft expert adds.

Another type of phishing targets remote employees who are waiting for email invitations with links to video chats. In such cases, scammers send links that take the user to a fake login page that looks just like the real thing in order to steal account access credentials. – If successful, fraudsters will attempt to use these credentials to gain access to other company accounts – explains a Fortinet representative.

To avoid video conferencing scams, always follow cyber-hygiene best practices: check the sender’s email address before clicking on emailed links or downloading attachments – even if they appear to come from a trusted source. In most cases, phishing emails are sent from addresses that do not contain the real domain name of the alleged sender’s company or institution. You should also inform employees, family members about potential threats and keep devices updated with the latest security software.