Amid the government’s attempt to slow down the spread of COVID-19, more commonly known as the coronavirus, hackers attempted to access the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ computer system via a cyberattack on Sunday night.
Bloomberg reports that the cyberattack that occurred Sunday, March 15, was supposed to slow down the department’s computer systems but that the hackers ultimately failed in doing so. The department’s servers were reportedly overloaded with millions of hits over several hours.
No data was taken from the cyberattack, but false information about a mandatory national quarantine quickly spread throughout the internet as a result of the hack. The National Security Council tweeted about the fake news late Sunday night.
While many states across the country have shut down restaurants, bars, and schools or have limited large social gatherings, a national quarantine has not been announced. The hackers’ attempt at spreading this false news could have been a way to incite more fear over the coronavirus outbreak.
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