Cybercriminals find chances to pry, pounce in your COVID-19 planning efforts

As COVID-19 spreads around the globe, cybersecurity and data privacy risks are expanding for employers. Read on to learn some simple steps you can take to address and mitigate the dangers.

2 key areas of opportunity for cyberthieves

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the pandemic in two ways:

• First, they’re launching phishing campaigns to lure e-mail users into clicking on malicious links that appear to be legitimate information from public health officials and other news sources about the growing coronavirus risk.
• Second, as organizations shift employees to remote work as part of their overall coronavirus response, more employees may be using unsecured Wi-Fi networks, handling information outside of secure channels, relying on personal devices for remote work, and not following the employer’s security policies.

Together, the factors increase the risk for cybersecurity and privacy incidents, which could lead to ransomware infections, compromised business e-mails, and the release of information protected under state, federal, and international privacy laws.

Changes in threat landscape