Covid-19
Covid-19: Fake News & Criminality
"This pandemic should be a powerful reminder of how successful vaccines have been. But instead anti-vaxxers are using Facebook to spread toxic lies and conspiracy theories."
Prof Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Chair World Medical Association
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to gather pace, a slew of health advice has been doing the rounds on social media, ranging from useless but relatively harmless, to downright dangerous. Russia is also reported to be “deploying coronavirus disinformation to sow panic in West”, and cyber-criminals have been having a field day targeting a wide range of health-related industries with phishing emails, some laced with ransomware.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the Covid-19 outbreak had been accompanied by an “infodemic” (an abundance of information), some accurate, some not; and Facebook has promised to give the WHO “as many free ads as they need” to help get the right message out.[1] President Trump's statements on the developing crisis have not helped...
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1   Fake Health Advice
“Disinformation is playing with people’s lives. Disinformation can kill.”
Josep Borrell [Head, European External Action Service]
In March the BBC published a piece on 'The fake health advice you should ignore'. It focused on half a dozen claims and noted in each case what the science really says. Here’s a summary:

1. Eating Garlic to Prevent Infection
There's no evidence that eating garlic can protect people from the new coronavirus. It may be a  "a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties" (WHO) but that's hardly a defence for such outrageous claims! The South China Morning Post reported a story of a woman who had to receive hospital treatment for a severely inflamed throat after consuming 1.5 kg of raw garlic...
2. 'Miracle Minerals'
One YouTube influencer has been claiming that a "miracle mineral supplement" can "wipe out" coronavirus (and effectively kill cancer cells!). The supplement (MMS) contains chlorine dioxide, a bleaching agent. The US Food and Drug Administration says it "is not aware of any research showing that these products are safe or effective for treating any illness" and warns that drinking them can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and symptoms of severe dehydration.

3. Home-Made Hand Sanitiser
As reports of the shortages of hand sanitiser gel emerged in Italy, so did recipes for home-made gel on social media. But these recipes, alleged dupes for one of the country's most popular brands, were for a disinfectant better suited for cleaning surfaces and, as scientists point out, not suitable for use on skin.
4. Drinkable Silver
The use of colloidal silver (tiny particles of the metal suspended in liquid) was promoted on US televangelist Jim Bakker's show. A guest on the show claimed the solution kills some strains of coronavirus within 12 hours (while admitting it hadn't yet been tested on Covid-19). The idea that it could be an effective treatment for coronavirus has been widely shared on Facebook, particularly by "medical freedom" groups which are deeply suspicious of mainstream medical advice. Health authorities say that there's no evidence this type of silver solution is effective for any health condition. More importantly, it could cause serious side effects including kidney damage, seizures and argyria - a condition that makes your skin turn blue. Unlike iron and zinc, silver is not a metal that has any function in the human body.

5. Drinking Water Every 15 Minutes
One post, copied and pasted by multiple Facebook accounts, quotes a ‘Japanese doctor’ who recommends drinking water every 15 minutes to flush out any virus that might have entered the mouth. A version in Arabic has been shared more than 250,000 times. Drinking water and staying hydrated is generally good medical advice but it won’t help fend off Covid-19.
6. Heat and Avoiding Ice Cream
There are lots of variations of the advice suggesting heat kills the virus, from recommending drinking hot water to taking hot baths — even using hairdryers! We know the flu virus doesn't survive well outside the body during the summer, but we don't yet know how heat impacts Covid-19, and trying to heat your body or expose yourself to the sun - presumably to make it inhospitable to the virus - is completely ineffective.
Washing bed linen or towels at 60ºC is a good idea, as this can kill any viruses in the fabric. But it's not a good option for washing your skin. And having a hot bath or drinking hot liquids won't change your actual body temperature, which remains stable unless you are already ill.
2   Malicious State-Sponsored Propaganda
According to Reuters, an internal EU report — dated March 16, and produced by the EU’s foreign policy arm, the European External Action Service — concludes that Russia has been “deploying coronavirus disinformation to sow panic in West”.  True to form, The Kremlin has denied the allegations, saying they were “unfounded and lacked common sense”.
The EEAS recorded almost 80 cases of disinformation about coronavirus since 22 January and noted that Russian efforts to amplify Iranian accusations online (cited without evidence), that coronavirus was a U.S. biological weapon (as well as a disease weaponised by Israel to target Iran). [Most scientists believe the disease originated in bats in China before passing to humans.]
In Lithuania there were false claims that a US soldier deployed to the country had been taken to hospital with coronavirus. Slovakia's Prime Minister, Peter Pellegrini, was said to be infected with the virus and may have passed on the infection to other leaders at a Brussels summit in February. [2]

The EEAS declined to comment directly on the report but an EU spokesman accused Moscow of “playing with people’s lives” and appealed to EU citizens to “be very careful” and only use news sources they trust.[3] In particular, officials want to know how much time elapses between disinformation being posted and acted upon by social media companies.

A spokesperson commented: “Whoever is spreading the disinformation is essentially playing with people’s lives. “Every responsible social media or media user should be aware of this: that there is a lot of misinformation circulating around … Double check, triple check, go to a media you really trust and look at the sources.”

The adjacent graphic, produced by EU vs Disinfo, catalogues the efforts by The Kremlin and its proxies to spread disinformation about Covid-19, on the one hand 'it's a hoax', on the other, 'it's a conspiracy'.[4]

With respect to media narratives in other countries, the report said that state media in China sought to depict Xi Jinping as doing an admirable job, while portraying China’s political system as an asset in tackling the virus.[5]  Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the website Ria Fan claimed that a “false panic” about Covid-19 would benefit pharmaceutical companies looking to make “lucre” [money] from the virus.
3   Cybercrime & Covid-19
“Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty caused by the unstable social and economic situation created by COVID-19.”
Jürgen Stock [INTERPOL Secretary General]
A new INTERPOL assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on cybercrime [Aug 2020] has shown a significant target shift from individuals and small businesses to major corporations, governments and critical infrastructure. With organizations and businesses rapidly deploying remote systems and networks to support staff working from home, criminals are also taking advantage of increased security vulnerabilities to steal data, generate profits and cause disruption. In one four-month period (Jan to Apr 2020) some 907,000 spam messages, 737 incidents related to malware and 48,000 malicious URLs – all related to COVID-19 – were detected by one of INTERPOL’s private sector partners.
3.1  Phishing Attacks
The BBC tracked five email phishing campaigns targeting individuals as well as industries, including aerospace, transport, manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare and insurance. Indeed, security experts report that the “spike in email scams linked to coronavirus is the worst they have seen in years.” Here’s a summary of what the investigators found:

1. Click Here for a Cure
Cyber-security firm Proofpoint has been tracking an email purported to be from a mysterious doctor claiming to have details about a vaccine being covered up by the Chinese and UK governments. The firm says people who click on the attached document are taken to a spoof webpage designed to harvest login details. They say “three to four variations are launched each day.”
2. Covid-19 Tax Refund
A tax refund scam, identified by cyber-security firm Mimecast, will take anyone clicking on it to a fake government webpage (shown here) and encourage them to input all their financial and tax information. This is NOT how HM Revenue and Customs would advise you of a potential tax refund!

3. Little Measure That Saves
Hackers pretending to represent the WHO claim that an attached document details how recipients can prevent the spread of Covid-19. "This little measure can save you," they claim. But Proofpoint says the attachment doesn't contain any useful advice, and instead infects computers with malicious software called ‘AgentTesla Keylogger’. This records every keystroke and sends it to the attackers, allowing them to monitor their victims' every move online. Advice: be wary of emails claiming to be from WHO!

4. The Virus is Now Airborne
Hackers are using fear-mongering tactics to encourage clicks and downloads. One, designed to look like it's from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reads ‘Covid-19 — now airborne, increased community transmission’. Cofense describes it as an example of hackers "weaponising fear and panic". It says the link directs victims to a fake Microsoft login page, where people are encouraged to enter their email and password. Cofense says the combination of a "rather good forgery" and a "high stress situation" make for a potent trap.[6]


5. Donate Here to Help the Fight
The final ploy involves fake CDC emails asking for donations to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and requests payments be made in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. The premise is of course ridiculous, but the email address and signature look convincing. Malware experts Kaspersky says it has detected more 513 different files containing malware with coronavirus in their title.
3.2  Ramsomware Attacks
One of the most sickening forms of cybercrime is holding hospitals, medical institutions and their suppliers hostage to ransomware. Here’s an edited extract from Wired magazine:

And this is not the only  to be targeted by cybercriminals as this new highly contagious virus spreads around the world.

In the US, the website for a public health department in Illinois that has more than 200,000 people registered with it has been taken offline following a ransomware attack. In the Czech Republic, the Brno University Hospital — a key Covid-19 testing site in the Czech Republic — was targeted (on March 13) causing disruption at an exceptionally busy and chaotic time. A London-based medical research group is also reported to have had its computing system compromised (on March 16), right in the middle of the Covid-19 outbreak. France’s French cybersecurity agency has also published a warning that it is seeing ransomware targeting its local authorities. Proofpoint reports “concerted targeting against manufacturing, pharmaceutical, travel, healthcare and insurance.” This includes companies that manufacture hospital beds, medical equipment, and other items associate with healthcare.”

Wired says that whenever there’s a large news event those trying to break into computer networks and devices "go into overdrive. In the past, the Olympics and the introduction of GDPR have provoked onslaughts of increased hacking activity. This predominantly happens though exploiting human weaknesses."
Malicious actors know that people will open emails that look convincing but actually act as ways to deliver malware or ransomware onto their machines. Despite the best efforts of cybersecurity trainers — people are still hugely susceptible to a convincing email that looks like it’s from their boss, or one that has an enticing attachment to download or a link to click.
Hospitals and public sector organisations that deal with health and social care can be particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks because the computer networks used in many hospitals are not secured as well as they could be.[7]

Adding insult to injury, BleepingComputer, reports that some hacking groups have said they’ll stop hitting the healthcare industry for the time being. A “press release” posted to the website of the Maze Team hacking group says it is offering “exclusive discounts” to the “partners” whose systems it has locked with ransomware.
And to conclude on a positive note... security specialists from Red Goat Cyber Security and PwnDefend have setup Cyber Volunteers 19 — an effort to provide support to healthcare services in the UK and Europe who are responding to cybersecurity incidents. So far around 3,000 people have expressed interest in volunteering, most offering their services through a LinkedIn group.
The organisers comment that the response “is primarily led by the healthcare providers and charities” who now have “a totally free pool of talent and skill they can use.” Those behind the initiative say that “Attacking a hospital at any time is disgraceful but during times of pandemic chaos it is repulsive.”[8]
4   Trump & the Coronavirus Pandemic
President Trump has made multiple false statements about Covid-19 and has been forced gradually to change his position — and deny his earlier comments. This has left the Unites States dangerously under-prepared; the consequences could be game-changing...

Watch this short  video [1:22 secs] which tracks Trumps various utterances as the crisis is developing.
5   How to Stop Bad Information Going Viral
Coronavirus misinformation is flooding the internet and experts are calling on the public to practice "information hygiene". So what can you do to stop the spread of bad information? Here's good advice.
1.    Stop and think
2.    Check your source
3.    Could it be a fake?
4.    Unsure whether it's true? Don't share
5.    Check each fact, individually
6.    Beware emotional posts
7.    Think about biases
See article for details. You might also like to read this piece which also comments on some of the positive things that social media has provided for those in lock-down. It concludes with this advice: "Just as we practice social distancing, digital distancing will be necessary as well. Spend ten minutes a day catching up on what's happening, but don’t let it become your entire day... Rehearsing our own sense of personal helplessness towards something we cannot control every day will stoke feelings of claustrophobia and anxiety."
6   Infotagion
“There is a lot of anger and emotion in the world right now, and the debate around vaccines has been an opportunity for that to bubble up.” Prof Heidi Larson, Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project 
On March 30th a coalition of distinguished individuals[9] set up Infotagion in response to the information contagion about COVID-19. "In a public health crisis the disinformation we see everyday about this deadly virus can spread just as far and fast as the real thing. Yet this can also harm you and those that you love. That’s why we have to fight back."
"Much of this disinformation exists in private channels that very many people have access to, but not everyone can see. So we need you to share with us the things that don’t look right, we will check the facts, and give you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." The background to the initiative is explained here.
7   More Fake Covid-19 Stories & The Consequences
Here's the story behind five Covid-19 rumours that have been debunked by the BBC:
1.   Tanks never arrived on the streets
2.   Bodies of coronavirus victims did not pile up in ice rinks
3.  Helicopters didn't spray disinfectant in the dead of night
4.  A random doctor on a remote island did not suddenly unlock the secrets of Covid-19
5. There was never a giant lasagne in Wembley Stadium
Lethal Consequences
A study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene [Aug 2020] finds that in the first three months of the year around 5,800 people around the world were admitted to hospital as a result of coronavirus-related misinformation on social media and at least 800 died. Many died from drinking methanol or alcohol-based cleaning products. They wrongly believed the products to be a cure for the virus.
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Notes
1     The WHO has set up a 'Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Myth busters'. It deals with the following:
  • COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in areas with hot and humid climates
  • FACT: Coronavirus transmission in hot and humid climates
  • Cold weather and snow CANNOT kill the new coronavirus.
  • Taking a hot bath does not prevent the new coronavirus disease
  • The new coronavirus CANNOT be transmitted through mosquito bites.
  • Are hand dryers effective in killing the new coronavirus?
  • Can an ultraviolet disinfection lamp kill the new coronavirus?
  • How effective are thermal scanners in detecting people infected with the new coronavirus?
  • Can spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body kill the new coronavirus?
  • Do vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the new coronavirus?
  • Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?
  • Can eating garlic help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?
  • Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?
  • Are antibiotics effective in preventing and treating the new coronavirus?
  • The new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment.
  • Are there any specific medicines to prevent or treat the new coronavirus?
To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
2    Researchers at Cardiff University’s Centre for Crime and Security Research, who carried out research with the commission, found an evolution in tactics by pro-Kremlin media. Rather than authoring disinformation, Russian sources were amplifying theories that had originated elsewhere, such as China, Iran or the US far right, the researchers said. “This tactic allows them to avoid the accusation of creating disinformation themselves, claiming instead that they are merely reporting what others are saying,” the report stated.

3    The report concludes that social media companies have taken “strong measures” to combat false claims, but worries they are not doing enough to share information with independent observers.

4    EU vs Disinfo comments: "On the one hand, pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets claim that the outbreak is a hoax. On the other, they indulge apocalyptic scenarios, suggesting that due to the pandemic the Schengen system has collapsed, NATO will dissolve, the EU is paralysed, the Baltic states are doomed, there are no doctors in Lithuania, and Ukraine is in free fall. The entire project of 'globalisation' is over! The coronavirus is the EU's Chernobyl. But then the whiplash comes again: The virus is not dangerous at all. It can be cured with saline in four days, what’s the problem?"

5    The Atlantic Council's DFRLab has pointed out that: "China’s parallel messaging strategy amidst the public health crisis [of Covid-19] demonstrates its competing objectives regarding the flow of information. On one hand, the country is attempting to compete in the era of a truly international internet, where news moves about relatively unfiltered. The memory of the 2002–2003 SARS epidemic — during which China largely kept the disease under wraps and was severely criticized for its lack of transparency and cooperation with international public health bodies — is particularly omnipresent. On the other hand, the Communist Party of China (CCP) remains preoccupied with what is its primary priority: extinguishing popular discontent before it transforms into unrest, in part by limiting its citizens’ access to information on the CCP’s mismanagement of a national crisis." [29 Jan 2020]

6   One way to protect yourself from cybercriminals is to enable two-factor authentication, so that you have to enter a code texted or otherwise provided to you, to access your email account.

7   The WannaCry ransomware that crippled the NHS in 2017 cost the health organisation around £100 million. At the time many of the infected machines were running outdated operating systems and even now Windows 7 is commonly used within medical environments, despite Microsoft no longer issuing patches for it.

8   I’ve seen calls for the death penalty for those convicted of this heinous crime.
9    "Infotagion: Covid-19 is an organisation created by Damian Collins MP, former Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, who also led the inquiries on disinformation and fake news, David Sefton, a venture capital investor and public company director with longstanding technology experience, and the executive team of Iconic Labs Plc, John Quinlan, Liam Harrington and Samuel Regan Asante, who before previously created UNILAD, then the world’s largest social media publisher. Branding and design was provided by Chris Gunn and Tom Love founders of LoveGunn, the award-winning design agency. All costs incurred to date have been incurred by these persons."
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