Cyberattacks are Up at the World Health Organization

External Threats

With their position at the forefront of society during the pandemic the WHO has unfortunately attracted the less desirables of society, too. Cybercriminals are using the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the WHOs collection for their COVID-19 Solitary Response Fund, to steal information. Other scammers are currently attempting to steal money from people by extracting payment card information and login credentials from retailers and fintech companies. 

There’s also the matter of state-sponsored hacking, which is continuously trying to capitalize on opportunities presented by this emergency to infiltrate and spy on other nations. 

Internal Threats

Internally, the WHO has suffered a significant data breach recently. 450 active WHO email accounts and passwords were leaked by hackers. This is in addition to thousands of emails from people working deliberately on the Novel Coronavirus response. A WHO spokesman said that the attack only affected an old extranet system that staff, former employees, and outside partners use. They have since implemented considerably more secure authentication systems.

It stands to reason that the WHO has been targeted by hackers during this period as cybercriminals are opportunists by nature and COVID-19 is sadly looked upon as such an opportunity. 

If people who are at the forefront of a worldwide response to one of the deadliest viruses in modern history can be hacked, so can you. Call Level5 Management today at (561) 509-2077 to get the tools and knowledge your business needs to keep your network and infrastructure secure and your data safe.