CBWY Blog

We’re not even halfway through 2020, and already it’s been a record-breaking year for ransomware attacks. Barely a week goes by without reports of a new strain or variant of malware wreaking havoc among companies. No industry, category, size, or group is safe from this cyber scourge.

Not all summer scams target unwary travelers. There are legion crimes waiting to happen that target their victims at home or in the workplace.

Vacation season presents a golden opportunity for scammers. Their targets are typically looking for bargains and are more likely to let their guard down, especially now with demand for rentals and hotel space at an all time high. For those hoping to get some rest and relaxation away from work and other responsibilities, the competition for that perfect vacation spot can present a perilous lure--and scammers know it.

With the arrival of summer and the easing of shelter in place restrictions nationwide, people are planning vacations, looking for jobs, and starting home improvement projects. 

Unfortunately, scammers are gearing up to take advantage of these summertime, post-quarantine activities with a wide array of schemes aimed at turning your plans, projects and even your aspirations into cold hard cash.

Quarantine fatigue is not only sending people to crowded bars in Wisconsin. We’re all getting tired of it — call it quaran-tigue — and that could spell trouble on the cybersecurity front. 

Multiple studies and articles of late have noted a trend that could have serious repercussions in the days, weeks and months to come. The caution employers and employees alike had talked about in making WFH (work from home) a workable, secure answer to widespread social distancing measures has given way to overconfidence. 

Covid-19 quickly revealed shortages (and organizational) shortcomings that worried consumers, whether it was the availability of PPE supplies, medical treatments, or diagnostic tests. Each of these deficits provided criminals with hard to resist lures that continue to be used in phishing and malware campaigns.

Keeping our customers, our communities and our employees safe is a top priority and we want to share the steps we are taking in response to coronavirus.

The response from federal, state, and local government agencies and organizations to support the economy during the pandemic created fertile ground for scammers. With tens of millions of newly jobless or furloughed Americans filing for unemployment benefits and the federal government paying individual stimulus checks to avert further economic crisis, criminals have been making a fortune.