A new survey revealed that the transition to widespread remote work presented myriad business challenges and security risks for the employees on the front lines of IT security.
Expect the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic to bring lasting changes to our lives, from the way we authenticate identity to how we open doors – and even use public restrooms. If there’s a theme among these changes, it’s that they will favor contactless solutions. The use of biometrics to authenticate employees and customers has snowballed over the last decade. Expect demand from public and private organizations to grow even faster as they require accurate identification of workers, students, patients and many more people in response to new challenges resulting from the virus.
The Wall Street Journal recently stated that commercial burglaries have almost doubled in New York City since March 12 when a state of emergency was declared. Reason being, thieves are targeting nonessential businesses that have shuttered locations as a result of government directives or are robbing essential businesses that would likely have more cash on hand. Multiple retail organizations are also reporting an increase in shoplifting attempts and point of sale shrink since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. In times like these, as a rise in theft, burglaries and other disturbances are expected, security is more important than ever.
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.
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.
What are seven concrete steps you can put in place to address visitor management in this crisis situation and during your recovery phase for re-entry to the office?