---
title: "Cyber Security News Update, Week 34 of 2020 | DuoCircle"
description: "Look here, another Amazon phishing scam, this one courtesy of Scamicide."
image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png"
canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/blog/announcements/cyber-security-news-update-week-34-of-2020/"
---

Quick Answer

Cybersecurity headlines for the week of August 23, 2020\. Scamicide flagged a fresh Amazon phishing email that locks accounts under threat of permanent shutdown within 24 hours. A scam impersonating a HIPAA Compliance Officer pressures healthcare staff into handing over PHI or making fraudulent payments. Reported phishing statistics for the week showed continued growth in COVID-themed lures. An exposed AWS S3 server leaked sensitive customer data, including stored documents and credentials, after the bucket was left without authentication. Children's Hospital Colorado disclosed a phishing-driven email compromise exposing protected health information. Phishing roundup items cover other notable lures of the week.

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![cybersecurity](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/08/email-smtp-service.jpg) 

Look here, another Amazon **phishing scam**, this one courtesy of [Scamicide](https://scamicide.com/2020/08/14/scam-of-the-day-august-15-2020-a-new-amazon-phishing-email/). From the article, “The latest Amazon phishing scam starts with an email that appears to come from Amazon when you do not have any [email security service](/)_, informing you that your accounts have been locked due to suspicious activity_. You are prompted to click on a link to verify your account within 24 hours or risk having your account permanently shut down.”

_One of the telltale signs of any phishing scam is a false sense of urgency_. This particular one does not disappoint. Whenever you feel yourself rushing to click on a link, that’s a pretty good clue that you’re about to be scammed.

## HIPAA Compliance Officer Scam

So, not only do hackers target the HIPAA information of medical patients, _now they’re targeting the HIPAA Compliance Officers as well_. That according to the [HIPAA Journal](https://www.hipaajournal.com/ocr-warns-of-postal-phishing-scam-targeting-hipaa-compliance-officers/).

[![phishing scam](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/08/spf-record-check-7420.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/08/spf-record-check-7420.jpg)

“The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights is warning healthcare organizations about a potential **phishing scam** being conducted by mail that has been designed to scare compliance officers into visiting a website or taking other immediate action with respect to a mandatory HIPAA risk assessment. _Postcards have been sent to several healthcare organizations that masquerade as an official communication from the Office for Civil Rights_. The postcards are addressed to the HIPAA compliance officer and state a mandatory HIPAA compliance risk assessment must be performed.” Who uses postcards anymore?

## Phishing Phrontier

Hackers can do what? _They can hack your phone’s power adapter? And melt your phone_? Apparently so.

According to [Gizmodo](https://gizmodo.com/new-hack-can-trick-power-bricks-into-starting-fires-1844441247), “researchers at a _Chinese security firm discovered a way to hack a fast charge power adapter_ so that when connected to a phone, the power brick can melt the phone or even start a fire.” I’ll have the fire extinguisher option with that phone, please.

## Phishing Statistics

From the “it’s hard to believe” department, comes a shocking **phishing statistic**: _Over half of the world’s phishing attacks in Q1 2020 targeted Canadians, according to [Insurance Business](https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca/news/cyber/report-over-half-of-the-worlds-phishing-attacks-in-q1-2020-targeted-canadians-230665.aspx)_.

“According to a new report by RSA, a Dell Technologies subsidiary, _Canada was the most frequently targeted country for **phishing attacks** during the first quarter of 2020_. A total of nearly **50,120 fraud attacks** were recorded by RSA during the first quarter. _Phishing remains the most popular method of attack for fraudsters_, RSA’s _Quarterly Fraud Report for Q1_ found, accounting for almost 55% of all cyberattacks.” Are Canadians overly gullible?

## Body Count

Apparently, there’s a shopping store called Asda in the UK. And apparently _if you’re a woman born in October, the company has promised you a £1000 gift card_. Unfortunately, the only thing that’s actually true about this story is that it’s a Facebook-based **phishing scam**, according to [Dailymail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8626881/Asda-scam-warning-Facebook-based-phishing-attack-lures-victims-1-000-gift-card-offer.html).

“_The fraudulent offer appears as a paid-for advert on the social media platform_, one linked to a page titled ‘ASDA Gifts’ that is not associated with the supermarket chain. According to Griffin Law investigators, _around 100 users have already reported seeing the advert on Facebook_. It is not known if anyone has fallen prey to the trap.” Stay safe out there.

## Amazon S3 Server Exposed

If you had to guess at a number, what would you guess is the number of _exposed email addresses found on an unsecured Amazon S3 server recently_? How about **350 million**.

From [Information Security Buzz](https://www.informationsecuritybuzz.com/expert-comments/expert-insight-ethical-hackers-find-350-million-exposed-email-addresses/), “_White hat hackers CyberNews recently discovered 350 million exposed email addresses on an unsecured server_ which were likely to have either been stolen or acquired back in October 2018\. CyberNews says it’s unclear if malicious actors accessed the data, however, anyone who knew it was there could have downloaded the files.” Scary.

[![security awareness](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/08/spf-record-5842.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2020/08/spf-record-5842.jpg)

Read how cybernews [hijacked 28k printers to raise printer security awareness](https://cybernews.com/security/we-hacked-28000-unsecured-printers-to-raise-awareness-of-printer-security-issues/).

## Children’s Hospital Colorado Breach

_I don’t think we’ve ever reported on a children’s hospital being hit by a **phishing attack**_. That is, until today. The victim? Children’s Hospital Colorado.

According to the [HIPAA Journal](https://www.hipaajournal.com/childrens-hospital-colorado-suffers-phishing-attack/), “Children’s Hospital Colorado is notifying **2,553 patients** that some of their protected health information was stored in an email account that was accessed by an unauthorized individual. Credentials to access the account were obtained when an employee responded to a **phishing email**.” Damn phishing emails.

And that’s the week that was.

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) 

Brad Slavin 

General Manager

General Manager at DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across the email security portfolio.

## Secure your email infrastructure

Protect, authenticate, and deliver. Contact our team to find the right solution.

[Contact Sales](/contact/) [Explore Products](/products/) 

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