Phishing, malware traps, charity solicitations: Google warns public of Covid-related cyberattacks, heath care workers at risk

SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Wednesday warned that nation-backed hackers are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to target health care organizations and those working to fight the pandemic.

A security team tasked with defending against government-backed cyberattacks on Google and its users said it identified more than a dozen state-sponsored groups using Covid-19 themes as bait in phishing and malware traps.

Early this month, Google reported that it was detecting about 18 million pandemic-themed malware or phishing messages per day and some 240 million Covid-linked spam messages.