The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned on Tuesday (24 March) that cybercrime in the EU has increased due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the increasing amount of time that people spend online due to new measures taken by member states to stop the spread of the virus – while they also benefit from the health crisis itself.
More and more hospitals, research hubs, and medical centers are being targeted by organized cyber units, which are after information, intelligence, and system accessibility.
Massive Cyberattack is just around the corner
The coronavirus is laying the groundwork for a massive cyberattack. Nobody is talking about this today. Combating hackers is the last thing on the minds of most people. But coronavirus practically guarantees “largest cyberattack ever” will soon be plastered all over the frontpages.
Before the pandemic hit, employees who worked remotely were usually given particular work laptops with beefed up security. For example, a person who’s working for tax authorities will be working under strict guidelines. He must use a dedicated work laptop and a separate, secure Wi-Fi connection to do his job and assure the security of data.
Practically every employee in every firm in America is working from a makeshift desk on their kitchen table. Firms only had days to cobble together remote work plans. So you can bet most didn’t set up secure systems, like the one my friend is using. The vast majority of employees probably don’t even have dedicated work laptops.
So, hundreds of millions of people are using personal laptops – on unsecured home internet connections – to access work files. Several of which likely contain confidential information and personal data.
A Hacker’s Dream Come True
Hackers only need to gain access through one entry point to seize control of a whole network. Once they’re in, they can steal data, secrets, and even lock you out of the network.
Hackers broke into the networks of America’s largest defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, by targeting remote workers. If they can infiltrate this system, you best believe remote workers with little security are easy pickings.
In the past couple of months, hackers have targeted the US Department of Health. Moreover, the attacks against the World Health Organization have more than doubled.
These are only the hacks we know about. Cyber intelligence firm CYFIRMA revealed cyber threats related to coronavirus shot up 600% from February to March. It’s only a matter of time before we hear about a significant cyber breach.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.