January in cyberspace: record-breaking number of phishing and scam websites

January in cyberspace: record-breaking number of phishing and scam websites

According to the monthly overview of the Estonian Information System Authority (RIA), 1,121 cyber incidents with an impact were recorded in Estonia in January. The majority of cases were phishing and scam websites, with a record number detected and blocked.

In January, 338 phishing scams, mainly designed to steal bank and other user data, and 592 different types of fraudulent websites were discovered. The latter are used, for example, in investment scams, as a result of which Estonians lost nearly five million euros last year, according to the police. RIA has also recently published recommendations on how to recognise and avoid investment fraud (in Estonian) on its itvaatlik.ee website. 

Soon, it is time to file income tax returns in Estonia, and as early as in January, scam messages and emails sent posing as the Tax and Customs Board began to circulate, claiming that the recipients could expect an annual tax refund. This incident was special because the recipients were directed to open a link via a QR code. For more detailed advice on how to spot fraud, please visit the website of the Tax and Customs Board (in Estonian).

In January, people in Estonia also continued to receive phishing emails sent purporting to be LHV Pank, inviting them to update their details. Unfortunately, some of the recipients entered their details on the phishing site and lost the money they had on their bank accounts – in some cases, the losses amounted to several thousand euros.

Among notable cyber incidents, RIA highlights two cases of using VPN device vulnerabilities for penetrating government systems. A critical vulnerability in the Ivanti Connect Secure software was used for the attack, which was made public on 8 January. In Estonia, the incidents are known to have started in late December and they were discovered in early January. However, they did not cause any serious damage.