CYBER SECURITY TRENDS IN COVID-19

Even with the recent news about vaccination against Covid-19, social isolation remains a reality for much of the world. Also, the shift to remote work seems to be here to stay. With many access points to business information, digital vulnerabilities have increased, which can fuel cyber-attacks.

Against this backdrop we have identified six key information security trends that companies will be targeting in 2021.

1) Home Networks Are Corporate Data Access Points

First, home networks, overburdened by the adoption of massive remote working, are expected to see a significant increase in cyberattacks. Similarly, cybercriminals will intensify their malicious approaches through email and personal cell phones, through voice and text messages via SMS and other communications. Criminals have quickly learned that if they're going to access home networks and user profiles, it's extremely likely that they're going to access the knowledge of the organization they work for.

2) Networks Are Vulnerable

Another trend identified is the continuous increase in attacks on legacy network infrastructures, such as VPN (Virtual Private Network). As many organizations are now overloaded with connections through their VPN infrastructure, cybercriminals see an opportunity for their attacks to be covered up amidst this colossal data traffic.

3) Healthcare Institutions Should Pay More Attention to Data Security

The third point of attention is the increase in attacks on health institutions. Hospitals, clinics and offices that are not adequately protected may have leaked information such as medical records and personal patient data to criminals around the world.

4) Social Media as a Means of Discrediting Ransomware Victims

The fourth point is a measure to use social networks in order to publicly discredit companies that do not respond to ransomware requests for ransomware, a type of cyberattack that restricts access to the infected system with a kind of data lock and charging a ransom in cryptocurrencies to release access. It is believed that by targeting consumers whose data may are leaked by an organization dedicated to information recovery, the affected organization pays for his or her demands.

5) Phishing Is On the Rise

The fifth trend is the strengthening of phishing, a criminal tactic that tricks people into sharing confidential information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, through malicious emails and messages. This practice, which dates back to the early days of the Internet, will continue to be a successful way for cybercriminals to access confidential information or install antivirus software on systems.

6) Cloud Environments Must Have Adequate Protection

The sixth and final point is the discovery that cloud environments are being intensively analyzed and attacked. Many organizations have had to quickly move applications and infrastructure to the cloud because of the sudden and enormous adoption of the house office after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. But this accelerated digital transformation may have been neglected when it comes to security. Given the need to put speed before security, many organizations haven't adequately ensured the protection of their environments.

Highlights

The most positive trend to achieve greater effectiveness in actions is the move from prevention to cybersecurity response. It is said that when it comes to security, it is no longer about whether a user has been hacked, but when. And most importantly: how is the response to the attack. Businesses don't have enough budget to prevent an attack and invest in a multitude of protection technologies. So it is encouraging to see organizations focus their approaches on responding to an intrusion, including periodically simulating an attack - to achieve a level of exposure clarity - and training the team to address any loopholes that may exist.

The negative trend, or the one that can be considered the most damaging, is a consequence of the expansion of the attack field of organizations. There are more front doors to companies with many people working or studying at home. For this reason, cybercriminals are launching, now more than ever, attacks with the aim of exploiting the vulnerabilities of those who trust their home networks. The year 2020 and Covid-19 have shown that some trends are difficult to predict, but we are convinced that the important thing is to be alert and prepared to act quickly, regardless of the threat that arises.