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IEEE expert comments on scam Covid text messages
June 2022 by Kevin Curran, IEEE senior member and professor of cybersecurity at the University of Ulster
The NHS has issued a warning about widespread scam text messages, which tell recipients they have been in close contact with a Covid case. The objective appears to be harvesting financial and personal information.
Kevin Curran, IEEE senior member and professor of cybersecurity at the University of Ulster believes there should be greater visibility and accountability with regard to the use of our healthcare data. He comments:
“The recent surge of scam text messages telling recipients they have been in close contact with a Covid case, proves that cyber risks remain a huge problem, even as the pandemic begins to slow down. Phishing attacks in particular are designed to target a large number of people with Covid-19 related items. Through dynamic websites and tailored techniques, a series of attacks are carried out with an alarmingly high success rate, and low detection rate.
“Consumers and organisations alike need to be more cautious than ever. Unsolicited communications which ask for personal data should be thoroughly checked. It’s also important to avoiding clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails. For those who are concerned that they have been caught out by the attackers, they should review online accounts regularly – this helps to flag signs of fraud or rogue charges.”
