COVID-19 reveals weak areas in password management system
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cyber attacks have been drastically increasing, adversely affecting individuals, businesses and organizations. Was COVID-19 the missing link to reveal weaknesses in their current password management system?
Employees working from home, lack of information about the spreading pandemic, and increasing public fears was the right context for hackers to test a wide range of cyber attack methods and receive financial profit. The results of a Check Point Software Technologies survey show that the number of cyber attacks during the 1Q of 2020 increased by more than 70%. Such a large number of cyber crimes in the context of COVID-19 made the public question the reliability of existing sensitive data management practises.
Healthcare and banking systems – the prime target
Unprepared healthcare and banking systems became the perfect target for hackers. VMware Carbon Black report states that cyberattacks against banks have increased by 238% since the beginning of the pandemic. Similarly, healthcare systems experienced massive data leaks, including the personal data stolen. To illustrate, emails and passwords of people working in the World Health Organization were leaked recently. Likewise, one of the biggest coronavirus testing laboratories in Czech Republic was hit unprepared by a cyber attack as well as patients’ data with sensitive personal details and medical records were allegedly stolen from ambulance servers in Lithuania ( Lithuanian source). Some of the victims are now investing financial resources into fixing the current inefficient data and password management systems.
Human error – one of the weakest areas in cybersecurity
Since the beginning of 2020 around 16,000 domains have been created globally with the content related to COVID-19, corresponding to public fears, uncertainty and confusion about the topic. Although many of these websites contained reliable, educational information, many of them were created by hackers who used this vulnerable area to gain profit. Precisely, about half of these COVID-19 related websites contained false information, malicious software, malware and scam with a purpose to deceive people searching for the information. Therefore, as 52% of data breaches are caused by human error, the current context of the crisis and confusion surrounding the situation requires an immediate integration of trustworthy cybersecurity solutions.
Fixing the flaws in sensitive data and password management system
Experts warn that the threat of cyber attacks will last longer than the pandemic itself, therefore, any flaws in the current sensitive information storage and password management system have to be fixed immediately. 70% of companies and organizations are now seeing a great value in allocating their resources to reliable cybersecurity solutions since the crisis revealed the urgent need.
Start from examining the current data and password management systems in your company. Make sure to use only secure online collaboration tools, especially for sensitive data sharing (such as PassCamp – a password manager built for secure data sharing), and invest in network security. Then, organize mandatory employee training on secure data management practises and general cybersecurity literacy, and, thus, get prepared for the upcoming challenges future uncertainties might bring.
In the end, the current pandemic will pass, yet the weak points it addressed are likely to be tested again. And again.
