KnowBe4 Warns of Potential Phishing Attacks Exploiting COVID-19 Vaccine Progress

KnowBe4 predicts a new wave of phishing attacks based on recent updates with the pandemic

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Dec 01, 2020, 08:00 ET

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KnowBe4, the provider of the world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today issued a warning on the potential for a surge of phishing attacks that take advantage of COVID-19 vaccine updates.

With infection rates soaring around the world, the impending news about COVID-19 vaccines is highly anticipated and as soon as it hits inboxes, people will be more likely to click. The KnowBe4 Q3 2020 Top-Clicked Phishing Report found that coronavirus-related phishing email attacks were still prevalent.

"With the world on high alert for good news about the COVID-19 vaccines, the bad guys are also waiting to take advantage of this news by crafting new attacks," said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. "End users should be particularly suspicious of any vaccine-themed emails, especially those containing attachments or instructing them to click on a link, as these emails could very well be part of a social engineering attack. Given that we are in a time where emotions are heightened, we must keep cybersecurity top of mind."

With new threats comes new resources. KnowBe4 has developed and added eight new simulated phishing templates to the KMSAT security awareness training platform for users to dive into. The new templates will be accompanied by an explanation of just how important it is to better protect your users against these anticipated attacks.

For more information about COVID-19 phishing attacks, visit the KnowBe4 blog.

About KnowBe4
KnowBe4, the provider of the world's largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 35,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4's Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as the last line of defense.

Media Contact
Amanda Tarantino
Public Relations Officer
KnowBe4
[email protected]

SOURCE KnowBe4