Pandemic has increased cyber attacks on apps and software used in online classes

 

With the pandemic of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV2), schools had to be closed and classes started to be held online, through the most diverse online communication platforms available on the market. According to a Kaspersky survey, cybercriminals are taking advantage of this trend and distributing malicious versions of programs used by teachers and students.

After analyzing this scenario, experts concluded that the number of such attacks during the second half of 2020 was 60% higher than the first months of the year; in addition, if we compare the number of incidents between the months of July to December, the growth was 20,000% compared to the same period in 2019. A total of 270 thousand occurrences of this type were recorded.

Criminals' favorite programs are Zoom, CiscoWebx, and Google Meet; however, edX, Google Classroom, Coursera, and Blackboard also appear in the ranking, in decreasing form. The widespread malware is often adware (which bombards the victim's PC with unwanted ads) and riskware (which adds bars and extensions to installed browsers).

“Unfortunately, until all students are back in the classroom full time, educational institutions will continue to be targets of criminals, especially since cybersecurity is not a priority in this sector. However, the pandemic has made it clear that this needs to change, especially as technology is increasingly being incorporated into classrooms, whether virtual or not, ”comments Anton Ivanov, a Kaspersky expert.

The expert points out that both students and tutors need to pay attention before downloading software or logging into an online platform - it is only recommended to download programs from their official websites. Also, make sure that you are not on a fake page, noting details such as the URL and any visual differences that report a scam.

Source:- Kaspersky