COVID-19 Ushers in Surge of Hacking Activity

It’s been more than two months since COVID-19 burst onto the scene and ground the world to a halt. And with much of the world distracted by all things coronavirus, hackers have taken aim at exploiting new vulnerabilities formed by working from home.

According to a recent article from The Guardian, attacks targeting businesses and home workers have seen an increase of almost 50% since March. Evident in recent announcements from British airline, EasyJet, who revealed a hack that exposure personal details and travel records of over 9 million people, businesses are urged to reconsider cybersecurity.

Many reports are highlighting the new ways that hackers are using to target individuals, from targeting coronavirus-related worries and anxieties, through to malicious email campaigns inviting staff to sign up to self-opt-in furlough scheme websites.

Other attacks have targeted users using remote working tools, such as VPNs, Zoom video conferencing or chat requests. Attacks of this nature have typically mirrored official provider pages in a bid to receive personal information from users. Furthermore, some reports are showing the masses of new malicious COVID related domains are going live each day.

With many people more heavily relying on online services than before, users are becoming more susceptible to these new types of attacks. And with fewer security defences on home networks than corporate networks, changes in the ways sensitive files are accessed by teams and general distractions are creating windows of vulnerability in a new age of working from home.

Now more than ever, it’s important for users to remain vigilant against potential attacks on cybersecurity and exercise caution when receiving emails or being asked to action out of

the ordinary requests. Recently, the National Cyber Security Centre published guidance for businesses to manage cyber security challenges that come from increased home working.

With over 20 years’ experience supporting companies across London in building robust solutions to cyber security, the team at Fitzrovia IT understands the true importance of tailored cyber security solutions. For any clients who may be concerned at their current state of cyber security, we encourage getting in touch with our cyber security specialists who can advise on next steps specific to your needs.