Since the pandemic of Coronavirus hit us, there has been an increase in cyber attacks, phishing scams and malicious activity which has highlighted the importance of Cyber Security, now more than ever! There have been reports of cyber criminals exploiting the pandemic with money scams, fake websites and emails being created and phishing scams to name a few… so we thought we should highlight some areas for you to consider within your business and personal cyber security.
Cashing in on the Coronavirus
In the last month, the National Cyber Security Centre has reported more than 2000 scams online related to the Coronavirus have been identified and removed. There have been a number of scams brought to our attention with criminals taking advantage of current public concerns such as money reclaim from cancelled holidays and applying for financial support due to the closure of schools.
Cyber security risk – Phishing Scams
There have been reports of cybercriminals creating fake websites and emails that appear to be legitimate authorities like the World Health Organisation and HMRC to compromise accounts and steal data / personal information. There has reportedly been a shocking 400% increase in scams as a result of email phishing attacks relating to COVID-19. The scams that are offering tips and advice about financial support and how to avoid being infected are those that are proving to be the most common.
Business Email Compromises
Continuing on from the enormous rise of phishing attacks, companies are now facing a huge threat from business email compromise. These attacks have increased by 25% since February and are predicted to double each year which could lead to huge financial losses. Fake emails, invoices, compromised employee email accounts are just a few aspects to be aware of. Ultimately without consideration for cyber security, it could lead to a crippling time for any business.
Video Conference Compromises
As we are all immersing ourselves into a new ‘normal’ and embracing more and more video conferencing techniques through Zoom or Teams, to stay connected, fraudsters are also exploiting this opportunity. There have been a surge or incidents where video meetings through different software have been hijacked by criminals. Be sure to check your controls which can be configured within your chosen platform to try to mitigate these vulnerabilities.
Remote Working Vulnerabilities
As we enter more weeks of uncertainty and remote working measures, we are seeing more threats for businesses through unsecured wifi networks and VPN vulnerabilities. Some workers have been forced to use personal devices to continue their job from home which has increased more risk with malware entering the device and compromising personal and business information.
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Cyber Security Awareness is needed more than ever at the moment, no matter your current situation. This applies to you personally and at work.
The current climate we find ourselves in has created the perfect opportunities for hackers, spammers, scammers and criminals to thrive. Cyber security is everyone’s responsibility, personally at home, an employer and also the employee. For more information on how we can help with your Cyber Security please contact us on sales@solutions4it.co.uk.
If you would like to help educate your team on the importance of Cyber Security please feel free to share this link and make use of the information and free posters.
