The McAfee Advanced Threat Research team today published the McAfee® Labs COVID-19 Threats Report, July 2020.
In this 'Special Edition' threat report, we delve deep into the COVID-19 related attacks observed by our McAfee Advanced Threats Research and McAfee Labs teams in the first quarter of 2020 and the early months of the pandemic.
What started as a trickle of phishing campaigns and the occasional malicious app quickly turned to thousands of malicious URLs and more-than-capable threat actors leveraging our thirst for more information as an entry mechanism into systems across the world.
Thus far, the dominant themes of the 2020 threat landscape have been cybercriminal's quick adaptation to exploit the pandemic and the considerable impact cyberattacks have had. For example, many ransomware attacks have escalated into data breaches as cybercriminals up the ante by leaking sensitive, often regulated, data, regardless of whether victims have paid the ransom.
Zoom uses a 'shady' technique — one that's also used by Mac malware — to install the Mac app without user interaction. Wardle found that a local attacker with low-level user privileges. Apple was the last leading operating system vendor to offer full disk encryption (in the recently released Mac OS X Lion). Apple is also typically the last among these vendors to patch software. More than nine in 10 end-users believe Apple's Mac platform will be more widely targeted by cybercriminals in the future. COVID-19 Coverage; InfoSec World 2020. Mac OS X attacks to become.
Some of the other significant threat findings in our COVID-19 report include:
- Average of 375 threats per minute in Q1 2020
- Nearly 47% of all publicly disclosed security incidents took place in the United States
- New PowerShell Malware increased drastically
- Disclosed incidents largely targeted Public, Individual, and Education sectors
In a first, we also have made available a COVID-19 dashboard to complement this threat report and extend its impact beyond the publication date. Timeliness is a challenge for publishing any threat report, but through the development of MVISION Insights our threat reports will include a link to another live dashboard tracking the world's top threats. We will also make available the IOCs, Yara rules, and mapping to the MITRE ATT&CK framework as part of our continuing commitment to sharing our actionable intelligence. I hope these McAfee resources will be useful to you, the reader.
As we head into the second half of the year, we must consider how the threat landscape has changed when we address and define each attack. Simply assigning a technical descriptor or reverting to the same attack classifications fail to communicate the impact such campaigns have on the broader society.
All too often, we are called into investigations where businesses have been halted, or victims have lost considerable sums of money. While we all have had to contend with pandemic lockdown, criminals of all manner of capability have had a field day.
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We hope you enjoy these new threat report approaches, and moreover we would appreciate you sharing these findings far and wide. These tools and insights could be the difference between a business remaining operational or having to shut its doors at a time when we have enough challenges to contend with.
Cyber criminals are not run-of-the-mill street hooligans. Assailants of online crimes are educated, tech-savvy, sophisticated individuals who don't care if you prefer PC to Mac or vice versa. There has been considerable debate in the tech arena regarding the security of one machine over the other. Are PCs more prone to cyber attacks? Is a Macbook really less vulnerable to online threats? The debate wages on.
Safety for every device.
Security is no longer a one-machine affair. You need a security suite that helps protect all your devices – your Windows PC, Mac, Android smartphone or your iPad.
For a long time Mac users enjoyed a period of peace—they felt impervious to threats, only to realize years later that the sophisticated hacker would eventually evolve to this platform. Back then it was a numbers game. PCs were more popular, with the number of Windows operating systems connecting to the web far surpassing those of Macintosh or Linux. The result was an influx of attacks targeted at PC users and the Windows operating system. However, the times are changing. Mac OS X's market share is now at eight percent, almost double what it was seven years ago- and as a result, cybercriminals are taking notice and setting their sights on Apple.
Today's digital landscape features a mix of users on a variety of devices supporting more software than has ever been available before. And unfortunately, we are no safer today than we were ten years ago.
Where Are the Risks?
Windows Vista and Windows 7 are still targeted by malware threats more often than any other operating systems. However, malware for Mac is estimated to rise as the iOS takes hold of more of the market (It's a numbers game, remember?). We have observed a growing number of threats for Macs in the past two years. While the numbers are still relatively low in relation to Windows computers, they are still skewed as Windows has nabbed the majority of the market share by 91 percent. Attackers have realized that Apple users are just as lucrative of a payday, if not more than Windows users.
Both PCs and Macs offer a potentially securable machine. The problem isn't so much with the platform; it's a matter of users not taking the necessary precautions to guard their machines and operating systems.
Most people assume that Windows and iOS come equipped to handle random downloads from the Internet and have no problem running potentially buggy software. This is just not the case. Regardless of the machine, most users will willingly download a hazardous browser plug-in to gain access to something trivial online. Once that happens, it's no longer a matter of machine security—at least not when it's the user opening the floodgates.
Browser Security
One of the biggest issues faced by both Mac and PC users involves browser security. Internet Explorer and Safari have both proven problematic in this regard. Browser vulnerably comes through 3 channels: the browser itself, add-ons, and plug-ins, sometimes called extensions.
Free browser add-ons or plug-ins can enable browsers to play videos, music, or games using Java. Unfortunately, not all plug-ins and add-ons are safe, and some may contain harmful malware or viruses. The results of installing rouge plug-ins or add-ons can include identitytheft, data loss, and financial loss.
How to Reduce Your Risk
The first thing a user can do to reduce her risk of cyber attacks, regardless of the operating system, is to install an Internet Security software suite, such as Norton Security (for both Mac and PC) on the machine. Even Macs can use the added protection these days. Consider the use of a host-based firewall to ensure your online activities are encrypted and not seen by online assailants. Additionally, you should always be cautious of browser plus-ins and add-ons. Don't click on pop-ups or virus warnings; many of these windows are scams and use 'scare tactics' to trick users into thinking you've already contracted a virus. When you click the link telling you to download the software to ‘cure' the virus, you're opening the door for a cyber attack.
When in doubt, shut it out. You'd be hard pressed to convince an avid Mac user to switch to a PC and visa versa. Fortunately, there are solutions out there for both machine types and operating systems. Dr. schplots nanobots mac os.
If you can curb your social behavioronline to reject bogus warnings and refrain from downloading illegitimate software, you'll be in good shape against cyber threats on your computer of choice.
Don't wait until a threat strikes.
Security threats and malware lurk on Windows PCs, Macs, and Android and iOS devices. If you use more than one device – like most of us do – you need an all-in-one security suite. Meet Norton Security Premium.
Enjoy peace of mind on every device you use with Norton Security Premium.
Editorial note: Our articles provide educational information for you. NortonLifeLock offerings may not cover or protect against every type of crime, fraud, or threat we write about. Our goal is to increase awareness about cyber safety. Please review complete Terms during enrollment or setup. Remember that no one can prevent all identity theft or cybercrime, and that LifeLock does not monitor all transactions at all businesses.
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