A Google spokesperson recently stated that they are blocking hundreds of millions of phishing and spam emails per day. Neil Kumaran, Gmail’s security product manager, along with G Suite’s lead security, Sam Lugani, explained that their email client is stopping over 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware from ever reaching users inbox.
The Numbers
Google has actively worked to help slow the pandemic on all fronts. Virtually or physically, the tech giant continues to aid the fight. Every day, the G-suite email client reportedly blocks over 240 million Covid-related spam messages, and 18 million malware and phishing emails.
However, even though the threat of COVID scams grows daily, these schemes only represent less than 2% of phishing attempts. Essentially, these hackers have only taken the script and altered it to fit the current pandemic, but the underlying threat remains the same.
The Scams
“The phishing attacks and scams we’re seeing use both fear and financial incentives to create urgency to try to prompt users to respond,” Google says. Examples include spoof emails from the World Health Organization or WHO, asking for digital donations to help fight COVID. Others include the hackers claiming to be with the government, collecting information for stimulus checks, or even third parties seeking to capitalize on the average person working from home.
Prevention
Being proactive is the best way to secure yourself from these emails. Unfortunately, there are too many people that fall for scams like this. By bringing awareness to those around you, you are actively slowing the spread of these COVID-19 related hacking attempts.
While what is going on in reality is constantly demanding our attention, it is important to be aware of the dangers floating around within the virtual world at this time. Ensure that you, your employees, family, and your friends are aware of the current risks online. This will help to ensure the safety of those around you.
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