Russia-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky on Monday warned that phishing incidents had proliferated worldwide with websites imitating online shopping and streaming platforms as many go into quarantine amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"Comparing the numbers for Q1 2019 and the same period this year, the share of users attacked by fake e-shops doubled, growing from 9 to 18%, of users, while the figure for streaming services tripled up to 4%," the company said in a statement.
"While streaming services, online shopping are a blessing in times of strict quarantine, straying from the protected portals of our favorite legitimate streaming services for entertainment, will play into the hands of cybercriminals," said Tatiana Sidorina, a security researcher at Kaspersky.
This situation leaves the public vulnerable to attack, she added.
"As tempting as it may be to find alternate sources of content, we ask users to be patient and stick to trusted streaming sources," Sidorina urged.
Kaspersky urged users to be "extra vigilant at this time, stick to trusted sources, i.e. services for which you have a subscription, not random sources by double-checking the URL format or company name spelling before you download."
It said that though fake websites may look legitimate, discrepancies can often help spot them, with user most often being redirected to such websites from other links or scam emails.
Over 1.86 million COVID-19 cases have now been reported in 185 countries and regions since last December, with Europe and the U.S. being the worst-hit, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
More than 115,200 people have died and over 440,000 have recovered around the world so far.
