Is your company’s cybersecurity policy as effective as it should be amid these tumultuous times? And if you’re not an employee but the owner of a small business – typically someone with much less sophisticated cybersecurity protection – how does your online security stack up? The answer: Cybersecurity has improved, but markedly more has to be done to secure networks in 2021, the second year of the pandemic, as the number of cyberattacks has become staggering.
As we look ahead to 2021 and to defending against an ever-evolving variety of exploits and attacks, it’s important to consider the cybersecurity attack vectors that will be most prevalent in the upcoming year.
Fortified Health Security, Healthcare’s Cybersecurity Partner released the 2021 Horizon Report, which details findings that illustrate how, as healthcare organizations continue to respond to the pandemic, cybercriminals have continued to persist in their attacks on providers, health plans and business associates – compromising sensitive patient data while impacting the delivery of care to patients.
Crime statistics from 2020 show an increase in homicides and violent crimes throughout the U.S. in 2020. Many point to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the reason for the increase.
As global tensions continue to escalate, the Internet may find itself used as a weapon, something we are already starting to see happen, by nations attempting to exert their influence and enforce greater internal control over digital commerce and communication. Nations must recognize the threat of escalation beyond the point of no return and take steps to ensure that the interconnectivity of the open Internet remains intact long-term. This will prevent a “cyber dark age” in which governments implement national Internet protocols and stop the free flow of data across borders.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported the final daily figure of estimated travel volume for calendar year 2020, closing a year that tested the agency’s ability to innovate and quickly implement modifications across more than 440 federalized airports nationwide to address the pandemic. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020, the agency screened a total of approximately 324 million passengers throughout its airport security checkpoints. That figure represents just 39% of the approximately 824 million total passengers screened in 2019.
It’s within this expanded terrain for cyberattacks that the security trends of 2021 and beyond are taking shape. Workers are engaging with company resources from diverse locations. At the same time, businesses have ramped up their digitalization journeys to be more flexible and agile after COVID-19’s disruption of supply chains. The result is a dynamic tech environment where the continuity of business operations – and ultimately market competitiveness – will rely on robust cyber protections.
To help businesses combat the new cybersecurity threats posed by an increase in remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this firm offers cybersecurity awareness training for free.
As organizations continue to adapt to life in the age of COVID-19, smartphones are set to take on additional responsibilities – even as the security limitations of these devices become ever more evident. Below, I’ve highlighted five key trends that are set to shape mobile security in 2021.