A group of 400 cybersecurity volunteers from across the world has banded together as the “COVID-19 CTI League” to fight back against hacking related to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.
Reuters reports that a group of 400 cybersecurity volunteers across the world have banded together to help fight hacking attempts related to the Chinese virus. The group is called the COVID-19 CTI League and spans more than 40 countries and includes professionals in senior positions at major companies such as Microsoft and Amazon.
One of the four initial managers of the group, Marc Rogers, stated that the top priority for the volunteer force would be working to combat hacks that target medical facilities and other frontline responders to the pandemic. The group is already working on recent hacks of health organizations.
The group is also placing a high value on the defense of communication networks and services that are essential as more people work from home due to the pandemic. Rogers is the head of security at the hacking conference Def Con and vice president of security company Okta Inc.
The volunteer group is also using its contacts with internet infrastructure providers to crack down on phishing attacks and other financial crime which has greatly increased during the pandemic. “I’ve never seen this volume of phishing,” Rogers said. “I am literally seeing phishing messages in every language known to man.”
Phishing messages attempt to induce recipients to enter passwords and other personal details into websites controlled by the attackers with the aim of using the details to take control of bank, email, and other accounts.
Rogers stated that law enforcement has welcomed the collaboration, stating: “I have never seen this level of cooperation,” Rogers said. “I hope it continues afterwards, because it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com
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