UN counterterrorism chief warns against rise in cybercrime amid COVID-19

On August 6, in the first quarter of the year report, a 350% increase in phishing websites attempting to compromise the security of the hospitals and health care systems amid the COVID-19 pandemic was reported, UN counterterrorism chief said before the Security Council, an official UN statement revealed. Vladimir Voronkov, in his address at first Virtual Counterterrorism Week at the United Nations, stressed that the world needs to be cognizant of the significant rise in cybercrime in recent months.  

We know that terrorists are exploiting the significant disruption and economic hardship caused by Covid-19 to spread fear, hatred, and division, radicalize and recruit new followers, said Vladimir Voronkov, head of the Counter Office—United Nations terrorism (OCT).

Further, he warned that the terrorist and criminal organizations had changed their modus operandi due to the home confinement measures and the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ghada Waly said, “Comprehensive and cooperative responses are needed more than ever,” adding, UNODC made strengthening member states capacities to combat the threats by terrorist and criminal organizations a top priority. Read the full highlights of the UN Counterterrorism Week here.

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Cyberattacks shifted to major corporations

Earlier, on August 4, International Police body INTERPOL said in a statement that there was an alarming increase in the rate of cybercrimes during the coronavirus pandemic. cyberattacks shifted to small businesses major corporations, governments, and critical infrastructure from individuals as businesses employed remote systems and networks for employees to work from home. Criminals are focused to steal data, generate profits, and cause disruption according to INTERPOL’s analysis. “In one four-month period (January to April) some 907,000 spam messages, 737 incidents related to the malware and 48,000 malicious URLs – all related to COVID-19 – were detected by one of INTERPOL’s private sector partners,” the police body said in a statement. 

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