Tips for training employees against cyberattacks

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected almost every area of our prepandemic “normal” lives including more telework, a surging demand for toilet paper, and a shrinking workforce, just to name a few. Almost no industry has been spared when it comes to the contagious disease’s impact. In particular, cyberattacks are on the rise in nearly every business, reaching unprecedented numbers since the start of the 2020 virus lockdown.

How we got here

When the COVID-19 crisis started, workers suddenly transitioned to a remote environment, and management became more focused on merely surviving day-to-day than spending dollars on IT security. As a result, the doors opened up for cybercriminals to seize new opportunities.

According to one report, 93% more cyberattacks occurred in the first half of 2021 than during the same period in 2020. At the same time, the number of global incidents increased by 29%. Unfortunately, the “perfect storm” has resulted in massive amounts of personal information being breached as well as millions of dollars being spent on mitigation, response, and recovery efforts.

For healthcare providers, the situation becomes even more dire. A ransomware attack can not only disrupt business operations and affect the bottom line but also have a negative impact on direct patient care. Even with up-to-date backups, it can take several hours or days to get a system back up and running after a ransomware attack, and most providers (and the patients they serve) will feel a negative impact because of the delay.

How to train your workforce