In March 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 had already reached more than 100 countries and was officially designated as a pandemic. The world has been battling this unprecedented virus for a year. In addition to its obvious effects on the health of individuals and the economies of entire countries, the spread of the disease has triggered sudden and radical changes in the daily lives of millions of people.
Work and study were moved home, and videoconferencing replaced social and business meetings. The massive online shift has only exacerbated concerns about cybersecurity. The main change in the work process was probably the forced transition to work at home.
Many companies have not provided their employees with corporate equipment. Instead, they allowed the team to work and connect to the office's IT infrastructure from home devices, which in many cases are poorly protected. According to Kaspersky's survey, about 68% of respondents worked from home and used their personal computers.
Remote workers also used their personal devices for entertainment, such as online games (31%) and watched movies online (34%). However, many also used the company's laptops and smartphones for “non-corporate” purposes. For example, 18% of respondents used them to view adult content.
Cybercriminals have actively exploited the growing interest in online entertainment, tried to lure users to fake websites and persuade them to download malware disguised as a film or installation file. A total of 61% of users surveyed admitted that they downloaded software from torrent sites, 65% used those sites for music and 66% for movies.
Cybercriminals did not invent a fundamentally new attack scheme during this pandemic year, but actively explored the COVID-19 theme. And as work has moved online for many people, the number of online attacks has increased.
To avoid becoming a victim, some universal tips are recommended:
- Don't click on strangers' links or download files from emails if you're not sure you can trust the sender;
- Use corporate devices and company-approved software for work and configure programs and devices accordingly;
- Ask your employer to install reliable protection on company devices and strengthen the security of your own personal computer and smartphone.
