As the COVID-19 continues to disturb our lives, people around the globe have been compelled to quickly adjust their working remotely, which can expose them and their associations to numerous cyber threats.
People all across the globe are in self-quarantine, making them dependent on the internet now more than ever. This large reliance on the internet and online services around the globe have created vulnerabilities and more opportunities for data-hungry cybercriminals. In this modern time, the world is facing as much of a threat from cybercriminals as it is confronting the physical threat from the pandemic.
Right now, more and more services are getting on the internet, for example, doctors encouraging telemedicine; private businesses and organizations' employees are telecommuting, using more online applications for video conferencing, students and teachers are connected through online classes, even the financial and banking sector has moved their services online. Downloading of games and applications has increased over the last two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The increased online activity not only increased the possibilities of online cyber-attacks and phishing email attacks against the general population and private sector but also increased the danger of online fake news.
Covid 19 Has Long-Term Effects On Cyber Security
Cybercriminals are actively using the COVID-19 situation for their personal gain exploiting it for their very own benefit. As a result, the cybersecurity world will consequently face long-term effects as well.
A few effects include:
Misinformation
While the spread of misleading information and false news is already happening, as the world battles the spread of the virus, we will keep on witnessing cases of it long after the last infected individual is cured. However, the focus of misinformation will most likely move from virus outbreaks and infected areas to the recovery stage, where countries, organizations, and people come back to their everyday schedules. For instance, we may see a great deal of fake news regarding stimulus packages, stock market performance, etc
Phishing attacks
This is one of the favored techniques used by cybercriminals and will definitely continue after the pandemic ends. The most well-known baits will probably revolve around stories of individuals who survived, new data about the virus, etc
Fraudulent products
Something we are seeing these days, while the pandemic is still spreading around the globe, is the variety of fake products offered by cybercriminals. This will probably change in the future. While today we are mostly seeing offers of fake products intended to help with the circumstance, for example, vaccines, masks, remedies, etc., it is likely that we will begin seeing product offers following a different track of identifying and defending against new viruses, etc.
Malware
After the pandemic, it is expected that we will keep on seeing various kinds of malware circulating. Some of them will mimic programs or applications that offer devices to work remotely, target clients who go to job-ad websites, etc.
Three Major Areas Of Exploitation
Criminal Exploitation
Cybercriminals are searching for and exploiting vulnerabilities. As per research, half of the coronavirus-themed domain registrations are more likely to be from cybercriminals. Regardless of whether it is phishing attacks with titles, such as, Stock Market Volatility, Corona Virus, Remote Working, or ransomware attacks focusing on hospitals, clinics, and basic healthcare providers, the criminals know where vulnerabilities exist and how to exploit them.
Political Exploitation
There will be attempted compromises on infrastructure, for example, power plants and petrochemical factories, as well as progressive disinformation campaigns to plant disarray and sabotage trust in political authority. The DDoS attack on Health and Human Services is only the beginning. There are further reports of a foreign disinformation campaign sign of a pending nationwide quarantine, immediately exposed by US government authorities, intended to make dread in the US populace and subvert trust in government organizations
Strategic Exploitation
While numerous cyberattacks will be meant to affect the crisis imminent, the more advanced attackers will exploit distracted organizations that have their guard down. They will plant malware inside a targeted organization's system for later exploitation
Necessary Steps to Ensure Cyber Security
1. Malware Prevention
Malicious software or malware is any code or content that could have a malicious, damaging effect on systems. Any interchange of data carries with it a level of risk that malware may also be exchanged, this could truly affect systems. The risk can be decreased by developing and performing appropriate malware plans.
2. Home and Mobile Working
Mobile working and access to the remote system provides numerous advantages but also exposes new threats that should be managed. Risk-based approaches and methods that assist mobile working or remote access to the system that are related to clients, just as service providers should be made. Train clients on the protected use of their mobile devices in the situations they are probably going to be working in.
3. Use Antivirus Software
Antivirus software is intended to identify viruses and generally other malware, for example, Ransomware, Trojan Horses, worms, spyware, adware, etc, that can detrimentally affect the user or device.
The effectiveness of an antivirus program massively depends on how frequently it is updated. Hence, it is essential to have the antivirus software scheduled to update routinely.
4. Use Strong Passwords
Try not to use the password on various sites, and change your passwords frequently. Make them complex. That implies utilizing a combination of at least 10 letters, numbers, and images. A password management app can assist you in keeping your passwords secured.
5. Cybersecurity Training
Other than the above-mentioned steps, train yourself for cybersecurity. There are various resources available for cybersecurity courses like cybersecurity training in Chicago and cybersecurity training in Florida that help millions of tech people around the globe in combating cyber threats and assist them to arrange the prevention techniques beforehand.
In the end, cybersecurity is, and will always be a major concern for tech professionals. In the current pandemic prevalence, it is way much important for every business to prevent their systems from vulnerabilities and threats to survive in uncertain situations. Thus worrying about your cloud security and controlling it effectively, is the key to success.