The U.S. and U.K. have issued an updated joint statement warning the public of advanced persistent threat groups seeking to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to enact cyber crimes.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and U.K. National Cyber Security Centre cited updates to ongoing APT activities that frequently target organizations involved in COVID-19 response including local governments, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and international healthcare bodies.
CISA and NCC noted that APT groups tend to collect personal information, intelligence and intellectual property that “aligns with national priorities” including COVID-19 research.
The joint statement comes after both agencies released an advisory in April calling on the public to remain vigilant of malicious actors that conduct crimes such as phishing scams to exploit public anxieties over the pandemic.
