Digital banking provides faster processing of financial transactions, more convenience, and a model that allows for the continuation of a financial industry even in the face of a pandemic. However, digital banking makes banks vulnerable to cyberattacks. Banks are now facing fresh security challenges that were brought on or affected by COVID-19. Here is what you need to know about them and how to protect yourself.

Since the late ‘90s in Canada, bank robberies have been on a decline; between 1998 and 2008, such incidents decreased by 38 percent, according to a report by Statistics Canada.

Concerns about cybersecurity are overtaking those about physical security in the banking sector, although perhaps most front-burner have been issues that cross over into both realms.

The rate of CFOs citing cyber attacks as a key concern has risen sharply over the survey’s four-year history, directly correlating to both the frequency and cost of cyber attacks.

The silver lining to the breaches, according to the ACI report, is that although data breach-related fraud has had a negative impact on banks’ and financial institutions’ bottom lines, more than 40 percent of respondents indicated that their customers have appreciated the proactive outreach and response to market events, which helps to keep financial institutions on the right side of customer satisfaction, rebuilding brand trust.

The theft of information linked to 80 million South Korean credit cards, including salaries, monthly card usage, credit rating and card numbers, has sparked widespread public concern, as cardholders rush to bank branches and overload call centers and service websites to see if their information as stolen.

Cyber threats are the “new normal” for the financial services industry, according to Booz Allen in its annual list of the “Top Financial Services Cyber Security Trends for 2014.”