Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft decided to help hospitals and protect them from extortion attacks.
Microsoft has identified dozens of healthcare facilities with vulnerable VPNs and other publicly accessible gateway applications. The company explained:
“When organizations switched to remote work, the ransomware found a practical goal - network devices such as gateways and VPN equipment. Unfortunately, one of the vulnerable sectors for these attacks is healthcare.”
The company has distributed targeted notifications to hospitals containing “important information about vulnerabilities, how attackers can take advantage of them, as well as recommendations on the use of security updates that will protect them from exploits.”
It is recommended that hospitals regularly update the configuration of VPNs and firewalls, as well as introduce enhanced monitoring of the remote access infrastructure and enhanced protocols for responding to violations.
Trending: Smart Contracts Audits Startup Hexens Closed $4.2 M Seed Funding
Hospitals are also encouraged to engage more actively with operational security specialists and plan regular check-ups.
Bill Gates is also involved in the Tech Against Corona initiative along with other technology companies that provide the Dutch government with technological assistance in the fight against coronavirus.
Some darknet hackers and operators have taken a rare moral stance against the spread of COVID-19.
Maze and DoppelPaymer said they would not carry out extortion attacks against hospitals during a pandemic.
Trending: Finder: Bitcoin could hit $80,000 by 2025
Monopoly, an anonymous marketplace, announced that it would forever ban suppliers of malicious use of COVID-19 from selling coronavirus treatments, masks, and toilet paper.
Digital Shadows analyst firm noted that in recent weeks the darkweb community has been displaying “atypical” behavior“ discourages other users from making a profit from the pandemic” and “provides information on health and safety.”