Coronavirus Cybersecurity Concerns & Risks
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on the economy and industries across the board – cybersecurity is no different As hospitals have been put under acute pressure and businesses have adapted to the lockdowns and an emerging work at home culture, a number of cybersecurity concerns have sprung up. From a growing risk of cyberattacks to more vulnerable targets, businesses and organizations must prioritize cybersecurity during these trying times and adapt their security practices to stay protected. The following are top COVID-19 cybersecurity concerns IT professionals and data center teams should be on the lookout for.
Remote Work Has Opened Multiple Vectors for Cyber Attacks
State-wide shut down orders and county lockdowns saw an increase in employees and even company leaders doing remote work. Working from home offers convenience and is a great way to stay safe from coronavirus. However, it also led to a large chunk of the workforce becoming increasingly dependent on personal devices and home networks which are typically more vulnerable than a company’s network. The recent controversy about privacy and security concerns of the popular video conferencing software platform Zoom is just one example of cybersecurity vulnerabilities surrounding remote work.1
Also see: Benefits of Outsourcing Business Servers
Workforce More Vulnerable to Social Engineering Tactics
In March, The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a public service announcement cautioning against an increase in social engineering fraud schemes related to the coronavirus pandemic.2 They found that scammers were starting to leverage the COVID-19 pandemic to manipulate people to give up personal information. Phishing emails include false promises of access to information on the virus or financial relief, fake donation links, and illegitimate crowdfunding campaigns. A stressed and distracted workforce are particularly vulnerable to these types of scams. It is important that employees are made aware of these security threats and trained to avoid them.
Also see: Data Center Cybersecurity Must-Haves
Ransomware Attacks On Hospitals & Healthcare Services
Hospitals and healthcare providers are under extreme pressure during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency rooms and intensive care units are filling up as the number of cases continues to increase across the nation. Historically vulnerable to cyber attacks, hospitals and healthcare facilities are now dealing with a rise in ransomware attacks made against them. National and international organizations including Interpol and the FBI have issued warnings of this growing threat.3, 4
“Interpol, the U.S. government, Google, Microsoft, have all come out and said there’s a lot more attempts to get into hospitals, health-care networks, drug companies working on a vaccine, all of that to take your data, steal it or lock it up so you can’t get access to it. It certainly seems like it is a heightened threat. There’s more going on.” – Scott Tong, Marketplace5
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Sources
- Rae Hodge, CNET – Using Zoom while working from home? Here are the privacy risks to watch out for
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – FBI SEES RISE IN FRAUD SCHEMES RELATED TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC
- Interpol – Cybercriminals targeting critical healthcare institutions with ransomware
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – HIGH-IMPACT RANSOMWARE ATTACKS THREATEN U.S. BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS
- Molly Wood, Marketplace Tech – Ransomware attacks against hospitals are on the rise