The TTU IT Division reminds faculty, staff, and students to remain vigilant for malicious cyber activity seeking to capitalize on the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) topic. Recently, security firms have noticed an increase in malicious activity related to this topic (source: https://www.cisecurity.org/newsletter/what-you-need-to-know-about-covid-19-scam). These scams typically fall under one of the following categories:
- Text messages claiming the recipient has come into contact with somebody who tested positive for COVID-19, and directing them to open a link for more information;
- Cyber criminals posing as affiliates to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doctor’s offices, and other health organizations. Typically, these criminals will direct you to open a malware attachment or go to a fraudulent website;
- Fraudulent emails related to government stimulus checks. These messages may try to get you to go to a malicious website or provide your personal information under the guise of processing your stimulus check;
- Fake websites and applications that claim to share COVID-19-related information. In reality, these websites will try to install malware on your system or trick you into providing your personal information; and
- Fake “reopen” websites. These websites start with “reopen,” followed by the name of a state or city (e.g. reopentx.com or reopenlubbock.com). These appear to come from local grassroots organizations, but are often designed by malicious third-party actors.
These scams often contain links or attachments that direct users to phishing or malware-infected websites. In some cases, these attempts to steal your identity are very sophisticated, complete with professional logos and fluent grammar.
For official information about the Coronavirus, please visit:
We encourage you to be vigilant in practicing cybersecurity. You can find additional cybersecurity tips online at http://cybersecurity.ttu.edu. For more information or questions, please contact IT Help Central at (806) 742-4357 (HELP) or via email at ithelpcentral@ttu.edu.
