security shield

How to Prevent Cyber Attacks During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Unless you were on a long desert meditation trip like Jared Leto, it is impossible not to have heard about the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic sweeping through the globe. At the time of writing this article, there have been over 16 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in over 200 countries worldwide. At this point the pandemic is truly a global event of epic proportions, hopefully the last event of its kind we will see in our lifetimes.

We’ve all heard about the ways we can protect ourselves and our loved ones against this outbreak: wear a mask, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, practice social distancing, etc. The risks of this virus outbreak are real and all of us have to play a role in slowing, and eventually stopping, its propagation.

However, we also have to realize that, in the tech world – which by extension is the real world these days since everything and everyone is connected – you have to be as cautious as you have to be in real life.

What this means is that, since the start of the global outbreak, we have seen a spike in cyber attacks in this period of uncertainty and therefore we must be extra vigilant. At the same time, since almost everyone is working from home these days, the organizations they work for are facing new challenges as multiple new attack vectors are being introduced into their networks. Since the start of the pandemic in late 2019, we have seen different attacks, ranging from attackers targeting the World Health Organization (WHO) to steal information to mass phishing email and spam campaigns targeting remote workers. We have even seen cases where cybercriminals are launching websites with domain names related to Coronavirus and COVID-19, exploiting people’s curiosity or worry to eventually launch ransomware attacks.

When it comes to cyber security, just like public health, prevention can be better than the cure. We are providing you with some common guidelines and security best practices that, when followed, can give you a better chance of fighting the people who are trying to capitalize on the chaos of this pandemic.

Things You Should do to Protect Your Networks and Data from Cyber Attacks

Train your employees on security and work from home best practices and make sure they are aware of the risk they can inadvertently pose to the security of the organization.

If possible, then ensure that your employees are only using their corporate devices to access company data. Also make sure that the devices they use have the latest security patches installed and updates enabled.

Tweak your company’s email protection settings to ensure that no phishing or spam emails can make it through to your employees.

Train your employees in the art of spotting phishing emails and to not click on suspicious links and alert them to phishing emails that have made it through.

Make sure remote users access SaaS applications through the corporate network instead of accessing the applications directly via the internet from home. This would ensure that your security solutions like CASBs have visibility into all traffic accessing your services in the cloud.

Most SaaS providers facilitate such access to their services; however, you might have to enable a few settings to make it work.

Make sure you are keeping a close eye on all your network traffic, especially SaaS traffic. Data breaches are a real threat during this crisis, and you must ensure that no unauthorized data transfers take place in the guise of “normal remote work.”

Ensure tenant access control if possible, to avoid data breaches or illegitimate data access.

Purchase or enable DLP capabilities provided by your SaaS providers to ensure additional data protection.

Ensure that all your employees accessing your corporate network are using VPNs to do so.

If you already have a dedicated TLS/SSL inspection solution that you never got around to installing, now would be the right time to deploy it, so you don’t miss any encrypted attacks or data breaches. Remember, most of the internet traffic is encrypted and without proper decryption in place, you won’t be able to stop encrypted attacks.

If you don’t have a dedicated TLS/SSL inspection solution but have NGFWs that can decrypt TLS/SSL traffic, then enable the feature as a temporary fix while you evaluate your dedicated decryption strategy. It will probably slow your network down and create bottlenecks, but that would still be better than being subjected to encrypted attacks.

If you have a DDoS protection solution, monitor it closely and reevaluate your configurations and strategies.

If you have a centralized management and analytics solution, make sure you are monitoring it closely.

Make sure your analytics solutions can track shadow IT. If you followed the previous steps, then that should help facilitate the tracking of unauthorized application use.

Practice Zero Trust

Finally, as the Zero Trust model recommends, practice the principle of “trust nobody” and make sure that no user has access to data that they don’t depend on for their day-to-day functions. Restrict access as much as possible, ensure that you have visibility into all your users, traffic, data and workloads, and that you have uniform security policies applied across all locations to make sure no security loopholes exist.

Just like the simple task of wearing a mask can help protect yourself and others against the COVID-19, taking simple, common-sense security measures can help protect us all against the cyber criminals exploiting the chaos.

Featured

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

  • DHS to End ‘Shoes-Off’ Travel Policy

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a new policy today which will allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints. Read Now

New Products

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.