Focusing on one of the most active subsets of the global threat landscape, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 tracks Nigerian cyber criminals involved in Business Email Compromise (BEC) activities under the name SilverTerrier. Over the past 90 days (Jan. 30 – Apr. 30), we have observed three SilverTerrier actors/groups launch a series of 10 COVID-19 themed malware campaigns. These campaigns have produced over 170 phishing emails seen across our customer base. While broad in their targeting, these actors have exercised minimal restraint in terms of targeting organizations that are critical to COVID-19 response efforts. Specifically, we find it alarming that several of these campaigns recklessly included targets at government healthcare agencies, local and regional governments, large universities with medical programs/centers, regional utilities, medical publishing firms, and insurance companies across the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
According to the recently released annual report from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) observed a record 23,775 BEC attacks in 2019. Significantly greater than all other categories of cybercrime over the same period, these attacks resulted in an estimated US$1.77 billion in global losses.
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Source: Palo Alto