Hackers will always exploit a crisis, and the coronavirus outbreak is no different. Since January, cybercriminals have leveraged the COVID-19 pandemic to stage all manner of cyberattacks, from ransomware take-overs of hospital systems to private network hacking. But the latest cybercrime scheme exploits the greatest cybersecurity vulnerability of all: human emotion.
Half of infosec professionals revealed that their organizations didn’t have a contingency plan in place, or didn’t know if they did, for a situation like COVID-19 or a similar scenario.
Threat actors launched a cyberattack against the Texas Office of Court Administration, the IT provider for many Texas courts, and encrypted their computer systems with ransomware, leaving those systems useless. Cognizant, which has a large presence in Dallas-Fort Worth and is one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated providers of information technology services for other companies, was hit with ransomware with losses currently estimated between $50 million and $70 million.
The pandemic has exposed deeper, more significant cracks in enterprise security. As companies plan for a phased return to normal operations, it’s imperative that they are aware of these vulnerabilities and make addressing them a central part of their coronavirus response.
Today the world is focusing on the health and economic repercussions of the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the rampant fear and uncertainty people are experiencing.
As some schools begin to reopen and others start planning for next year, student and staff safety need to remain top of mind, and administrators need the right solutions in place to keep risks of all kinds at bay. However, these solutions must be flexible and able to adapt to changing circumstances, while still executing clear communication and quick response to reduce school safety risks.
4iQ released its COVID-19 Threat Report, which explores a host of notable scams that have surfaced during these uncertain times, including sextortion/blackmail emails, fake news, ransomware and phishing campaigns.
Embedding cellular technology in a business continuity plan allows organizations to scale the network as needed, offers further security for those outside the corporate walls and ensures IT teams can more easily monitor and resolve any potential issues faster and easier. The workforce of tomorrow will see remote work security and cellular connectivity go hand-in-hand.
A new report, COVID-19, Conspiracy and Contagious Sedition: A Case Study on the Militia-Sphere, details how the Militia-sphere’s messaging has grown increasingly extreme as the pandemic has progressed, to the point of threatening and enacting violent attacks.