Check Point researchers have noted a significant rise in the number of 'Zoom' domains registered over the last week.
Since January, around 1 700 new domains containing the word 'Zoom' have been documented, a quarter of which have been registered in the past seven days alone.
Check Point considers 70 of these domains to be suspicious.
“The numbers reinforce the trend of hackers taking advantage of millions now working from home through Zoom, the popular video conferencing service used by over 60% of the Fortune 500,” the company says.
Unwanted apps
The researchers have observed new phishing sites for all of the leading communications apps, including Google Classroom, which impersonate the official Web site.
Omer Dembinsky, Check Point’s manager of Cyber Research, says this recent staggering increase of ‘Zoom’ domains means bad actors have taken notice of the work-from-home paradigm shift that COVID-19 has forced, and they see it as an opportunity to deceive, lure and exploit.
“Each time you get a Zoom link or document messaged or forwarded to you, I’d take an extra look to make sure it’s not a trap,” he adds.
Responding to Check Point findings and media reports, a Zoom spokesperson said Zoom users should be aware that links to its platform will only ever have a zoom.us or zoom.com domain name.
Be cautious
Check Point recommends several safety tips to protect against Zoom and other phishing attempts.
Firstly, be cautious with e-mails and files received from unknown senders, particularly if they are offering special deals or discounts. The cure for COVID-19 will not arrive via e-mail, the company says.
Next, don’t open unknown attachments or click on links in the e-mails, and beware of lookalike domains, spelling errors in e-mails and Web sites, and unfamiliar e-mail senders.
“Ensure you are ordering goods from an authentic source. One way to do this is not to click on promotional links in e-mails, and instead, Google your desired retailer and click the link from the Google results page.”
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