A “Free” Covid Vaccine can give you a virus (and infect your IT network)

With the pandemic still raging in most parts of the world, cybercriminals have come up with yet another novel technique to lure unsuspecting victims and steal their data–the free Covid-19Vaccine scam. This is how it typically works.

You get an email or a text message that says you are eligible to receive the vaccine for Covid-19 free of cost. The message will have a link which will take you to a form, where you may be asked for your personal information. Once you fill that in and hit submit, cybercriminals have access to your PII (Personally identifiable information) and can virtually wreck havoc now.

There have been some variations of this message, one being a rebate offer, where you are asked to “book” or “preorder” your vaccine by paying for it online, with a promise of credit/rebate/refund in a week. Not only will your card be charged for the “cost of the vaccine”, your card details may also be stolen using secret key loggers, and the damage to your credit may be much more than the amount you were actually billed for.

Why should you be wary of this, as a business?

So, if the scam seems to target individuals, why is it important for businesses to be aware of this? Well, for the simple reason that you need to alert your employees to this. With the pandemic having almost completely changed the typical office set up and more and more people working remotely, using their own devices for work purposes, there’s a chance that an employee who falls for the vaccine scam may end up compromising your company’s data unknowingly. If a cybercriminal gets access to their device, chances are high that they will most likely have a gateway to your IT network and subsequently, your data.

What can you do?

Data safety is not just about getting the best antivirus software, it is also about people who have access to your data. Apart from installing anti-malware software programs and firewalls, educate your employees about the COVID-19 vaccine scams that are in play. Help them identify phishing scams and conduct mock drills and tests to assess their understanding of the concept.

No time to do all this by yourself? Business Data Defender is an experienced Managed service provider with extensive experience in cybersecurity. We can help you keep your data safe by deploying the latest technology and also by training your employees to identify hacking and phishing attempts BEFORE they become a victim.