Unproven Coronavirus Therapy Proves Cash Cow for Shadow Pharmacies
Summary: KrebsOnSecurity reports that pharmacy affiliate programs long tied to spam and botnets saw drugs containing hydroxychloroquine reach as much as 25 to 30 percent of all sales over a month, rivaling generic Viagra and Cialis, after President Trump and Elon Musk suggested the malaria drug could treat COVID-19 in mid-March. India, the largest producer of hydroxychloroquine, then banned exports and began closing international shipping ports on Mar. 25, leaving the programs scrambling for supply while shortages hit patients who rely on the drug for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Why it matters: The same invite-only affiliate networks named here - EvaPharmacy, Rx-Partners, Mailien/Alientarget - were early catalysts for the botnets that fill inboxes with spam, and they retooled their storefronts around a public health crisis within days of a keyword spike.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
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