A decline in operations during the COVID-19 pandemic is leading to an increase in risk for many organizations. When data or networks are idle and not being monitored as frequently, they make easier targets for cybercriminals.
In addition, stress and a lack of clear direction during the pandemic may create unintentional insider cyber threats.
Phishing attacks related to COVID-19 are increasing and many appear to come from a legitimate organization. Trojan attacks often trick employees by masquerading as "important updates, financial rescue packages, or emergency benefits."
Cybercriminals can steal money from an organization through the use of ransomware. Organizations should protect their finances from a cyberattack by improving their financial payment release structure and watching for large, non-standard payments.
Backups of critical systems are essential during the pandemic. Create multiple backup locations and check that they are performing correctly. Regularly back up data off-line.
Finally, organizations should improve their incident and crisis management systems and link them to actionable contingency plans. Have a backup channel for communicating throughout your organization in the event that your network is compromised. Brent Whitfield "How to Minimize the Risk of Insider Threats (Physical and Cyber) During COVID-19" securitymagazine.com (Jun. 16, 2020).
