Zoom Video Communications (ZM 0.98%), Alphabet's (GOOG 9.86%) (GOOGL 10.16%) Google Meet, and Microsoft's (MSFT 2.66%) Teams video conferencing and collaboration platforms, are being used by hackers to trick individuals into clicking on malicious links in a new crop of phishing scams.
Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP -0.93%), the security software company warned in a blog post that hackers are using all three video platforms to attempt to steal identities and engage in other nefarious activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It makes sense. Hackers follow the users, and with shelter in place orders being enforced around the country and millions of people working from home, collaboration platform usage is skyrocketing. That provides a fertile breeding ground for cybercriminals.
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According to Check Point, in the last three weeks about 2,500 Zoom-related domains were registered on the Internet, with 1.5% actually malicious and 13% appearing to be suspicious. "Since January 2020 to date, a total of 6,576 Zoom-related domains have been registered globally," wrote Check Point in the blog. "And Zoom isn't the only platform cybercriminals are impersonating – both Microsoft Teams and Google Meet have been used to lure victims too."
Some of the emails seemingly from the tech stocks that people have fallen victim to include subject lines that read "You have been added to a team in Microsoft Teams" with a fake link that looks real but really downloads malware in the background. Check Point also found fake Google Meet domains that sent people to malicious websites.
The World Health Organization is also being used by hackers to scam people during the pandemic. Check Point said cybercriminals have sent malicious emails with subject lines that purportedly provide information about vaccine tests and results but really contain the AgentTesla malware.
