Domain name hacks begin to deceive Internet users, taking advantage of the corona virus.
Domain names are an important source of controversy and disputes in these times. It is not surprising, since few things are easier than registering a domain name, something that is within the reach of a “click”, and an economic outlay that may be less than five euros.

However, this does not mean that any domain name that is available should be registered: it is important to take into account our choice, especially in terms of the trademark rights of other users or companies. Along with this controversy so common today, given the abundant number of domain names that are registered daily, there has been an increase in recent days in the registration of domain names related to the COVID-19 or corona virus, encrypted in 12,000 domains .

The sad reality is that some hackers, are taking advantage of the precarious situation, to obtain new domain names, or hack others that already exist with content related to the corona virus, to obtain certain sensitive data from the users who browse these websites.

The current situation obviously produces concern and fear among citizens, who do not know the best way to act in the face of this pandemic, and are looking for solutions on the Internet to try to avoid it. This is where these hackers come in to offer miraculous products to cure the virus, posing as official agencies or prestigious medical institutions and requesting sensitive data from users with the deceptive purpose of providing solutions, while their real interest is to obtain sensitive data in order to impersonate identities and obtain benefits from it.

According to a report by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., the “modus operandi” is based on the hacking of those domain names that host web pages with content related to the corona virus, and ensures that these domains related to COVID-19 have a high probability of being malicious.

As a consequence, just as healthcare experts recommend that we stay home as long as possible, or constantly wash our hands, cyber security experts recommend being vigilant and monitoring what we visit and download and even what we buy since cases of fraudulent sale of masks have also been detected to avoid contagion.

Likewise, it is advisable to exercise extreme caution when opening emails that we receive from unknown senders, especially if they include attachments, since by downloading they can be installed by malware or steal personal information from us.

In this same sense, the World Health Organization (WHO) itself released on March 24 a statement alerting citizens about these hackers, who are posing as WHO to obtain sensitive information and money, even going so far as to request supposed donations on behalf of the WHO itself to combat COVID-19.

In this scenario, the basic recommendations are as follows:

– Review the links before accessing them, checking that they start with ” https://www “. The “s” of the “https” is vital to ensure that the domain has some security validation.
– Avoid downloading files hosted on these websites.
– When we receive an email, check who is the sender. Never provide sensitive data by email.
– If we are asked for personal data through a website, be very careful and watch what is asked of us and the reasons.
– The communications that we receive, or those that we send when responding, must be encrypted, to guarantee your security and thus avoid unlawful interference or unwanted information leaks.
Finally, if we detect something suspicious that may be constitutive of this type of deception or piracy, report it. This report can be made to the Internet Security Office or the Civil Guard or the National Police.
Therefore, together with the encouragement and strength, we wish all users in these bitter days to be careful and aware about this reality, to also fight against this type of immoral behavior, in order to avoid a virus of an informative nature that steals our sensitive information and causes more concern than we all have because of the virus.