COVID-19 Security Issues
Despite being many months into the COVID-19 pandemic, IT security issues continue to persist.
Knowing what cybersecurity issues are still prevalent or have emerged helps keep your company protected, especially as many companies continue to rely on staggered reopening procedures and millions of employees continue to work remotely.
What Cybersecurity Issues Remain With Zoom?
After the dramatic shift to at-home work in early 2020, many companies struggled with zoombombing attacks, in which people infiltrated virtual meetings and posted unwanted content. With millions more using their product, the company had to respond quickly to security flaws that emerged.
In mid-June, the company announced it was going to offer end-to-end encryption to all users, not just paid subscribers, in response to mounting criticism. On July 1, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan announced the results of a 90-day push to improve security and fix product issues. Yuan noted that the company had taken several key steps, including the launch of a new product version (Zoom 5.0), changes to default security settings, added additional staff, used third-party reviewers of its security policies, conducted white-hat penetration assessments and provided weekly privacy updates.
Yet issues persist. On July 10, a security flaw was announced that could leave users of Windows 7 and earlier versions vulnerable to hackers who could take over susceptible computers. While it was fixed within a few days, it illustrates the challenges of ramping up technology safely for remote workers.
What Cybersecurity Threats Do Companies See During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
An increasing threat during the pandemic is CEO fraud. It is a type of phishing attack that has hackers impersonating the CEO or another C-suite executive. The attacks usually come in an email claiming to be from an executive asking to transfer funds to a bank account.
With people working from home, these attacks are more likely to be successful unless companies keep policies in place to verify identities, require multiple signatures or use other security measures.
Luis Alvarez, CEO of the Alvarez Technology Group, said in a recent interview that now is the time for companies to double down on cybersecurity.
“Cybercriminals are thinking this is a really good opportunity for us to take advantage of a situation where people are going to be a little lax or they’re still getting comfortable in this new working situation,” Alvarez said.
How Can Companies Be Cybersecure During the Pandemic?
Now is the time to shore up both your cybersecurity solution, including employee awareness and education. Employees may be particularly vulnerable, eager to seek information about the coronavirus, public health and government programs. Hackers know that, too, and are stepping up phishing and other schemes to try to steal credentials.
Cybersecurity should include network firewall protections, anti-virus and anti-phishing software, content filtering, active monitoring and automated backups of data, applications and operating systems.
“Just because you’re working remotely doesn’t mean the threat landscape has gotten any less threatening,” Alvarez said.
To learn more about cybersecurity solutions for your business, contact Alvarez Technology Group today.
