The growing sophistication of cybercriminals partnered with the increased sharing of data online has led to a surge in cybercrime over the last decade. But these are not the only reasons that cybercrime is on the rise.
From growing IT infrastructure to data protection regulations like GDPR, businesses have had to make cybersecurity a top priority. Then Covid-19 came alone, adding another security threat to the already growing list.
This is because the pandemic presented a new opportunity for cybercriminals to exploit unsuspecting victims, and you better believe they took it.
In fact, Covid-19 had a few unexpected effects on cybersecurity and how businesses protected themselves (or not, as the case may be). Below, we’re going to take a look at six of the unexpected effects of the pandemic on cybersecurity.
Read on to find out more.
1. A wave of cyberattacks on the healthcare sector
The cybersecurity efforts of healthcare organisations have been well and truly put to the test over the last two years. This is because with hospitals treating more patients than ever before as a result of the pandemic, the focus was taken away from cybersecurity and data protection efforts.
Not only this but with more people accessing healthcare than ever before, be that for treatment or vaccinations, an increased amount of data has been shared online and through apps, offering a prime target for cybercriminals.
The result of which was that healthcare organisations were left even more vulnerable to cyberattacks, an opportunity that was exploited. In fact, in the last quarter of 2020, Check Point Research found that cyberattacks against hospitals had increased by 45% across the globe.
As the virus continues to rage, it is likely that these attacks on healthcare organisations will continue into 2022 until healthcare professionals see a slow in Covid-19 related admissions and are able to get back on top of their cybersecurity efforts.
2. Rapid reliance on cloud-based systems
With many professionals having to work from home during the pandemic and lots of others having to adapt the way they work to accommodate new rules and regulations, cloud-based technologies became the lifeblood of many businesses.
Cloud-based solutions offer accessibility, flexibility and scalability, which is great. However, moving rapidly to the cloud has left lots of room for mistakes and, in many cases, left security lagging behind.
The differences between cloud-based and on-premises systems and networks create unique security challenges, and lots of organisations don’t fully understand these yet.
As such, learning how to secure cloud-based systems needs to be a key priority for all businesses in 2022 and beyond. Otherwise, failure to implement effective cloud security will see security breaches continue to rise.
3. More distractions give cybercriminals more access
Between working from home with pets and children to worrying about the pandemic, people are facing a lot of distractions right now. This means that people are likely to be much less vigilant than they usually would be, especially when working from home. This has given cybercriminals a way to exploit stressed out, distracted individuals.
For this reason, it’s important that businesses remind remote employees about common cybersecurity dangers and how to remain vigilant even in these troubling times.
4. Phishing attacks have changed
Some of the most common types of cyberattacks that we know about, such as phishing emails, have seen their own Covid-related twist. Phishing still remains a problem, but rather than relying on email scams; cybercriminals have moved to collaboration platforms like Zoom or Slack.
There are lots of businesses and even individuals out there that have had to adopt online collaboration platforms like these. The problem is that many people are so focused on traditional scams that they don’t realise these new ones have become an even bigger threat.
The result of which is that phishing attacks on these platforms are a lot more effective and, sadly, claim a lot more victims.
As these platforms are still very critical to people around the globe, phishing attacks via video and messaging platforms look set to continue in the future. As such, individuals need to be educated on how to spot the signs of these phishing scams and know how to deal with them.
5. Ransomware is on the rise
Following on from the last point, ransomware attacks have also been twisted to exploit the ongoing pandemic. Cybercriminals recognise increased levels of anxiety around the virus, and so they are changing their phishing scams and content to reflect this.
For example, they are pretending to offer information about vaccines and treatments or offering payment and government assistance for those struggling financially as a result of the pandemic.
Using COVID-19 as an allure has made it much easier to convince users to click onto Covid-themed links and download and deposit ransomware in unsuspecting networks or applications. It has also been proven that targeting those who work from home increases the likelihood of a successful ransomware attack.
To combat this, businesses should re-educate their teams about new threats and also run regular scans and penetration tests to highlight any weaknesses in their systems that might allow ransomware or malware in.
6. Businesses must account for cyber physical systems and IoT
Finally, in recent years we have seen an increase in automated systems, and this only grew during the pandemic as we aimed to minimise human contact and the sharing of devices. This might seem like a good idea, but it has raised new cyber physical challenges for many businesses.
Let’s look, for example, at a robot being used in a hospital to help reduce the human workload. This is great news for healthcare professionals but can be problematic if it’s not deployed safely and its security features are not maintained.
And it’s not just the healthcare sector. With hackers out on a crime spree right now, some businesses like those in the legal sector have begun asking employees to disable Internet of Things (IoT) devices that they might use during the working day. This might include Smartphones or voice assistants.
Aware of the new threats posed by these systems and technologies, individuals have to keep a careful eye on their devices and determine when these could give cybercriminals access to sensitive information.