Last week, pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that long-term trials of their COVID-19 vaccine have been highly successful. This exciting development is a huge step towards ending the pandemic, but experts say we are still far from a publicly available vaccine.

Unfortunately, good news like this is often used by cybercriminals to catch your attention and manipulate your emotions. Expect to see mentions of a COVID-19 vaccine in phishing attacks and social media disinformation campaigns.

Here are some tips to stay safe:

  • Be suspicious of emails, texts, and social media posts that contain exciting or alarming information about a vaccine. This could be false information designed to intentionally mislead you—a tactic known as disinformation.
  • Always think before you click. Cyber attacks are designed to catch you off guard and trigger you to click impulsively.
  • Stay informed by checking official government websites or following trusted news sources for information on vaccine developments.

Stop, Look, and Think. Don't be fooled.