Why Cybersecurity Matters the Most During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
The emergence of Information Technology as an ubiquitous aspect of our lives has been one of the defining aspects of technology revolution that has helped in economic and social progression of our country over the years. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity for Organizations to assess their IT infrastructure and focus at deploying robust and advanced cybersecurity solutions.
While the Covid-19 situation continues to disrupt global health, political, economic, and social systems, the risk of cyberattacks that prey on our increased reliance on digital tools and the uncertainty of the crisis, has become another unseen threat rising in the digital space. Do you know why cybersecurity matters more than ever during this Covid-19 pandemic? Here’s why.
Dependency on Digital Infrastructure
While coronavirus pandemic has compelled most of the IT people to work from home, dependency on digital communications has multiplied drastically. The Internet has become the channel for effective human interaction and the primary way to contact, work, and support each other.
While businesses and public sectors are enforcing “Work From Home” policies, social interactions have become confined to video calls, social media posts, and chat platforms only. Even the governments of many countries are disseminating information through digital means. For instance, in the UK digital is made the default mode of communication to instruct citizens for any updates in order to avoid flooding of phone-based information services with requests.
Therefore, in this unprecedented context, a cyberattack can be devastating for Organizations and even the families. In a worst-case scenario, a cyberattack can cause widespread infrastructure failure that can take an entire community or a city offline, obstructing public systems, networks, or even healthcare providers. In the past few days, the US Department of Health and Human Services had become the target of cyber attackers with the intention to disrupt operations and information flow.
Fear & Uncertainty open doors for Cybercrime
Cybercrime exploits human weaknesses like fear and uncertainty to penetrate systemic defenses. In an unprecedented situation caused by Covid-19, people might make mistakes they would not have made otherwise. Making a mistake in terms of which link you click on or whom you trust with your data can prove to be devastating.
According to some estimates, 98% of cyberattacks deploy social engineering methods. Attackers are extremely creative in devising new ways to exploit users and technology to access passwords, data, and networks. They often capitalize on popular trends and topics to tempt users into unsafe online behavior.
Stress can be a major reason to provoke users to take actions that may be considered irrational otherwise. For instance, a recent global cyberattack targeted people looking for visuals of the spread of COVID-19. The malware was cloaked in a map displaying coronavirus statistics loaded from a legitimate online source. Users were asked to download and run a malicious application that compromised the computer and allowed hackers to access stored passwords.
More time spent online will lead to more Risks
With more time spent online, inadvertently risky internet behavior will also increase. For instance, a user may fall for “free” access to obscure websites or pirated shows that may open doors to malware and cyberattacks. Likewise, there can be hidden risks in requests for credit card information or the installation of specialized viewing applications. Therefore, clicking on the wrong links or expanding surfing activities can prove to be extremely dangerous and costly.
The Solution
Neumetric, a cybersecurity services, consulting & products Organization recommends that just like addressing the COVID-19 pandemic requires us to change our social habits and routines to fight the virus, small changes in our online behavior can help maintain high levels of cybersecurity. Here are three simple solutions.
Solution 1: Level Up the Cyber Hygiene Standards: A review of your digital hygiene is necessary. You must ensure that you have a long, complex router password for the Wi-Fi. Along with this, your system firewalls must be active on your router and you should not reuse passwords across the web. You can invest your money in a password manager and make sure that you use a reliable VPN for internet access wherever possible.
Solution 2: Extra Vigilance on Verification: You should be extra careful when installing software and giving out your personal information. Clicking on any links from email should be avoided. While signing up for new services, the source of every URL should be verified. You must also ensure that the apps or programs that you install are the original versions from a trusted source. Any potential mistakes online can contaminate others in the Organization or the wider community. So, you must be extra vigilant in verifying sources.
Solution 3: Official Updates: You must update your system software and applications regularly to patch any weaknesses that are vulnerable to exploiting. If at any stage you feel that the advice you are being given sounds unusual, you should search the Internet to see whether others have similar concerns. You can search for a well-known site that can help verify the legitimacy of the information.
Your personal behavior can prove to be instrumental in preventing the spread of dangerous infections in the digital world.
Neumetric can help you reduce your security cost without compromising your security posture. Our years of in-depth experience in handling security for Organizations of all sizes & in multiple industries make it easier for us to quickly execute cost-cutting activities that do not bring value to you, while you continue focusing on the Business objectives of the Organization.
