The coronavirus pandemic has presented new obstacles for organizations as they adjust to a new operating paradigm in which working from home has become the “new normal.” Companies are peeding up their digital transition, and cybersecurity is increasingly a top priority. If cybersecurity concerns are ignored, the consequences for reputation, operations, legality, and compliance might be severe. This article investigates the influence of COVID-19 on cyber risk and the mitigating methods or Need For Online Security that organizations might do.
Impact Of COVID-19 On Cybersecurity
Because of the increased vulnerability to cyber danger, the rise in remote working necessitates a higher emphasis on cybersecurity. This is evident, for example, in the fact that 47% of people fall victim to a phishing scam when working from home.
1: We Are Online More
Many Canadians discover that they have more spare time on their hands now that they no longer have to go to work or travel to past social responsibilities.
Many of us spend more time online for business and social reasons, which makes us more exposed to cyber-attacks.
While working, and when people were simply trying to download a movie or a game from thenewpiratebay.org, their online identities were exposed to a noticeable level.
Therefore, implementing essential cyber security precautions is more crucial than ever.
2: We Depend On The Internet For More
Shopping at a physical store may be difficult for you these days.
As a result, many establishments have stopped or curtailed their services to keep employees and customers safe and to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Thus, most of our buying pattern has been shifted to the internet.
Be on the lookout for e-commerce cyber scams, which can involve anything from a bogus online store created to steal your credit card information to bogus delivery reminders for things you didn’t order.
3: We Are Our Own IT Team
One of the benefits of working in an office for many people is the opportunity to rely on an IT staff to help safeguard our networks and devices against cyber threats.
Working from home may not provide you with as much IT help.
In a sense, you’ve become your own IT team, which means you must take safeguards to defend yourself from cyber threats and pay greater attention to cyber security in your daily operations.
For example, you should always use secure passwords and keep your operating systems and programs up to date.
4: We Are More Susceptible To Online Threats
It’s okay to feel sick during a pandemic. However, we are more concerned with our families, jobs, and health.
All of this tension makes it harder to concentrate and digest information.
In addition, because there is so much going on around us, it may be more difficult to notice a scam or detect a falsehood.
Cybercriminals are aware of this, and they are using COVID-19 to deceive victims into disclosing personal information.
Cybercriminals are posing as health authorities and government entities.
They send communications regarding positive test results or emergency assistance advantages to deceive Canadians disclosing personal information.
In this stressful situation, it’s evident that individuals might become victims.
How The Pandemic Increased Online Security Threats?
A series of online security threats on video conferencing tools is an instance of criminals exploiting cybersecurity flaws in remote working.
From February 2020 to May 2020, almost 00,000 people were affected by online data security breaches in which video chat service customers’ personal data was stolen and sold on the dark web.
Some hackers utilized a program called ‘OpenBullet’ to carry out this assault.
Hackers even misused credential stuffing tactics to access employees’ credentials, and the stolen data is subsequently sold to other cybersecurity criminals.
One of the repercussions is that organizations that rely significantly on videoconferencing systems may face significant disruption.
Credential stuffing is a type of cyberattack in which hackers exploit previously obtained login and password combinations to gain access to additional accounts.
This is feasible since it is typical for people to use the same username/password combination for many accounts.
Conclusion
Malicious workers who operate from home with less supervision and fewer technological constraints may be enticed to commit fraud or other criminal conduct.
In addition, cybercriminals know that the present data security measures are ‘unfit for purpose’ or insufficiently robust to prevent them from carrying out successful cyberattacks.
Hence, it is obvious why the pandemic increased the need for online security measures. However, if you want to know more about it, you can tell us in the comment box below.
