Look out for these 5 COVID-19 related phishing attempts

Recently, there has been an increased number of phishing emails related to COVID-19. To protect yourself and your organization, please follow the following guidelines from our i3 security team lead and CTO.


Please look out for:

1. Attached files, especially .dll files and .bmp files (photos)
2. Mobile apps offering COVID-19 tracking maps
3. Website links offering COVID-19 information
4. Online stores that sell shortage items
5. Fraudulent emails that appear to be from the CDC, asking you to "urgently" open a file or click on a link

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the current situation to catch people with their guard down. Please do not click on any links that claim to provide information on the virus. We recommend that you look to legitimate websites for information concerning COVID-19.

Some sites we recommend are the following:

• World Health Organization - https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
• Center for Disease and Control - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• State of Michigan - https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus

A generally good practice is to never click on a link in an email. Rather, we recommend going to your browser to find the known website.

As always, stay vigilant and when in doubt, call i3 Business Solutions or contact your assigned network admin.