The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it has seen a dramatic increase in the number of cyber attacks directed at its staff members and email scams targeting at the public since the start of COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO, in a statement on Thursday said that this week, 450 active WHO email addresses and passwords were leaked online along with thousands belonging to others working on the novel Coronavirus response.
“The leaked credentials did not put WHO systems at risk because the data was not recent.
“However, the attack did impact on older extranet system, used by current and retired staff as well as partners.
“WHO is now migrating affected systems to a more secure authentication system,” it said.
The world health agency warned that scammers impersonating WHO in emails have also increasingly targeted the general public to channel donations to a fictitious fund and not the authentic COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
It disclosed that the number of cyber attacks was now more than five times the number directed at the organisation in the same period last year.
Bernardo Mariano, WHO’s Chief Information Officer, said, “Ensuring the security of health information for Member States and the privacy of users interacting with us is a priority for WHO at all times, but also particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are grateful for the alerts we receive from Member States and the private sector. We are all in this fight together.”
WHO said it was working with the private sector to establish more robust internal systems to strengthen security measures and educating staff members on cyber security risks.
The health agency advised the public to remain vigilant against fraudulent emails.
It recommend the use of reliable sources to obtain factual information about COVID-19 and other health issues. (NAN)
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Buy and read digital replicas of your TRIBUNE titles by subscribing through E-VENDING
Make No Mistake, Coronavirus Will Be With Us For A Long Time, Says WHO DG
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday that he hoped the Trump administration would reconsider its suspension of funding, but that his main focus was on ending the pandemic and saving lives, Reuters reported… Read full story
COVID-19: Governors Adopt Two-Week Inter-State Lockdown • Call for decentralisation of COVID-19 response
The 36 state governors, on Wednesday, unanimously resolved to adopt a two-week inter-state lockdown as part of measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus across the country… Read full story
Covid-19: Chinese Treatment Of Africans
IN the wake of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic experience, China has treated African residents within its borders like scum. The situation has been so bad that it is actually difficult to believe that its previous investments in the continent had wholesome intentions. China’s inhuman and hostile disposition to Africans in China… Read full story
FG Bans Inter-State Movement Of COVID-19 Patients
The Federal Government has banned inter-state movement of Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in the country. Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, said this on Wednesday in Abuja, at the Presidential Taskforce (PTF), briefing on COVID-19… Read full story