Cyberattacks on the Rise During the COVID-19 Global Health Pandemic!
Many businesses have pivoted quickly and have taken their operations online, enabling their staff to work from home. But with that change, hackers, scammers, and spammers are actively targeting the weakest link in the security chain — the staff.
Phishing Attacks Targeting Employees Working From Home
Not only are security controls typically more lax at an employee’s home than in the workplace, but employees are also more apt to fall for phishing scams when they are working from home. Without fellow employees to quickly ask about a suspicious email, combined with scammers preying on people’s fear during the pandemic, phishing emails are getting much more traction.
In addition, thousands of new sites are being created every single day to host phishing scams, malware, and financial fraud schemes. Governments are issuing warnings and statements so people are more aware of the cyberattacks, but businesses should also consider educating their employees on the growing threat.
Security Awareness Training that can be offered in the cloud to teach employees how to distinguish between a phishing email and a regular business email is a good way to go to prevent ransomware attacks.
Ransomware Attacks Causing Havoc in the Healthcare Industry
In an already incredibly stressful situation, the Brno University Hospital in the Czech Republic was recently targeted in a ransomware attack. The result was surgery postponements and disrupted operations in a system that was already taxed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hackers are clever and know that, given the direness of the pandemic, hospitals and frontline healthcare industries are more likely to simply pay the ransom so they can get back to saving lives. To get ahead of those who can find system vulnerabilities, businesses need to consider their own security and put measures in place to protect data and systems.
How to Prevent Cyberattacks During the COVID-19 Pandemic
For those who have been lucky enough to not experience a cyberattack during the pandemic, the best thing to do is be proactive. Conduct a security assessment while employees are working from home, roll out a Security Awareness Training program to ensure your employees are educated on the tactics and techniques being used by hackers, and engage a strategic security services partner like Canary Trap to undertake these services.
