Why coronavirus scammers can send fake emails from the WHO

Organizations could prevent domain spoofing, but many don't.

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Read more here: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/2/2...

During the coronavirus pandemic, scammers have sent several emails using the domain of the World Health Organization. Some are addressed from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, and carry attachments that can install malware on the victim’s device. Others announce a coronavirus cure that you can read all about in an attachment. They each appear to be sent from the WHO's who.int email address.

If it seems like it shouldn’t be this easy to impersonate a leading global health institution, you’re right. There is a way for organizations and companies to prevent spoofing of their domain using a free authentication system called DMARC, but the WHO, like many other companies and organizations, hasn’t done it.



Sources:
DHS Binding Directive: https://cyber.dhs.gov/bod/18-01/
DMARC status of industries: https://www.valimail.com/resources/do...
What is DMARC: https://www.valimail.com/dmarc-monito...
"Towards Understanding the Adoption of Anti-Spoofing Protocols in Email Systems" http://people.cs.vt.edu/gangwang/surv...
"End-to-End Measurements of Email Spoofing Attacks" https://www.usenix.org/system/files/c...
"Coronavirus-related Lures Comprise More Than 80 Percent of the Threat Landscape" https://www.proofpoint.com/us/threat-...
"Covid-19 Drug Advice From the WHO Spoofed to Distribute Agent Tesla Info-Stealer" https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/...


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