Headline
Hurricane Helene Prompts CISA Fraud Warning
Beware that friendly text from the IT department giving you an “update” about restoring your broadband connectivity.
Source: Mike Hill via Alamy Stock Photo
Hurricane Helene is whirling its way toward the Florida coast, with the US National Hurricane Center warning those in the path of the storm to prepare for a Category 3 landing on the night of Sept. 26, followed by a life-threatening 20-foot storm surge.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals are likely planning a storm of their own, in the form of fraud and phishing efforts tied to interest and anxiety related to Helene.
A charity appeal for donations is a common gambit that cyber scammers perpetrate after a natural disaster, along with notices that purport to come from energy or phone providers about outages, and even unsolicited offers of help from “contractors” who can remove fallen trees or outfit your office with a generator — as long as you pay upfront.
There are many, many variations on the theme, including business email compromise (BEC)-enabled attacks that use a legitimate organization’s email to hide nefarious purposes.
Being suspicious is the top defense here. As the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned on Sept. 26, individual citizens and corporate users alike should remain vigilant when “handling emails with hurricane-related subject lines, attachments, or hyperlinks. In addition, be wary of social media pleas, texts, or door-to-door solicitations relating to severe weather events.”
About the Author
Tara Seals has 20+ years of experience as a journalist, analyst and editor in the cybersecurity, communications and technology space. Prior to Dark Reading, Tara was Editor in Chief at Threatpost, and prior to that, the North American news lead for Infosecurity Magazine. She also spent 13 years working for Informa (formerly Virgo Publishing), as executive editor and editor-in-chief at publications focused on both the service provider and the enterprise arenas. A Texas native, she holds a B.A. from Columbia University, lives in Western Massachusetts with her family and is on a never-ending quest for good Mexican food in the Northeast.