UN Reports Sharp Increase in Cybercrime During Pandemic

Vladimir Voronkov told the UN Security Council that the upsurge in phishing sites was part of “a significant rise in cybercrime in recent months.”

By Associated Press | Updated: 7 August 2020 17:24 IST

UN Reports Sharp Increase in Cybercrime During Pandemic

The upsurge in phishing sites was part of “a significant rise in recent months”

Highlights

The weeklong meeting was attended by representatives from 134 countries
88 civil society and private organisations joined the meeting
A 350 percent increase in phishing websites was reported in Q1

A 350 percent increase in phishing websites was reported in the first quarter of the year, many targeting hospitals and health care systems and hindering their work responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN counterterrorism chief said Thursday.

Vladimir Voronkov told the UN Security Council that the upsurge in phishing sites was part of “a significant rise in cybercrime in recent months” reported by speakers at last month's first Virtual Counterterrorism Week at the United Nations.

He said the UN and global experts don't yet fully understand “the impact and consequences of the pandemic on global peace and security, and more specifically on organised crime and terrorism.”

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

“We know that terrorists are exploiting the significant disruption and economic hardships caused by COVID-19 to spread fear, hate, and division and radicalise and recruit new followers,” Voronkov said. “The increase in Internet usage and cyber-crime during the pandemic further compounds the problem.”

The weeklong meeting was attended by representatives from 134 countries, 88 civil society and private sector organisations, 47 international and regional organisations and 40 United Nations bodies, he said.

Undersecretary-General Voronkov said the discussions showed a shared understanding and concern that “terrorists are generating funds from illicit trafficking in drugs, goods, natural resources, and antiquities, as well as kidnapping for ransom, extorting and committing other heinous crimes.”

Online Child Sex Abuse Rises With COVID-19 Lockdowns: Europol

He said UN member nations “are rightly focused on tackling the health emergency and human crisis caused by COVID-19,” but he urged them not to forget the threat of terrorism.

In many parts of the world, Voronkov said, “terrorists are exploiting local grievances and poor governance to regroup and assert their control.”

“The pandemic has the potential to act as a catalyst in the spread of terrorism and violent extremism by exacerbating inequalities, undermining social cohesion and fueling local conflicts,” Voronkov said. “We must continue our fight against terrorist groups and criminal networks to deny them the opportunity to exploit the COVID-19 crisis.”

Ghada Waly, executive director of the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime, told the council meeting on the linkage between counterterrorism and transnational organised crime that the links are “complex and multifaceted,” and “the COVID-19 crisis poses a host of new challenges to national authorities.”

“Organised criminal groups and terrorists may seek to capitalise on and exploit new vulnerabilities,” she said, “and transit patterns are shifting in view of travel restrictions and lockdown measures, adding further challenges for border security.”

Waly said: “Comprehensive and cooperative responses are needed more than ever.”

Is Nord the iPhone SE of the OnePlus world? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.