In bulletins sent to federal, state, and local officials and obtained by the Associated Press, DHS’ National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) said that officials should warn the public about phishing scams related to Hurricane Irene or 9/11. Clicking on the links in phishing email could download harmful viruses or take users to malicious websites, the center warned.
Commenting on the bulletins, DHS spokesman Chris Ortman said that cybercriminals often try to use high-profile events as a way to trick computer users into opening phishing email that downloads malware onto a user’s computer. Internet users should be vigilant when opening emails from unknown addresses that claim to be about a major news event, he added.
Earlier this year, DHS issued a similar warning about phishing scams related to the death of Osama Bin Laden.
“Phishing scammers use email or malicious websites to solicit information by posing as a trustworthy source. For example, a scam may send an email that looks like it’s from a reputable news organization with links to photos or video when, in fact, it takes you to a malicious website or downloads harmful viruses onto your computer”, DHS warned.
NCCIC offered the following advice to protect against phishing scams: keep software up to date, save and scan any attachments before opening them, and turn off the option to automatically download attachments.