With an increase in spending during the holiday season and industries managing consumer demands, the pandemic has provided many opportunities for cybercriminals to take advantage of the situation, proving that businesses need to prioritize and reinforce cybersecurity.   

Cybercrime has thrived during the pandemic, ransoming millions of dollars from businesses. According to Verizon, incidents are fluctuating anywhere from $800 to $650,000, with an average cost of data breaches reaching to $21,659 per incident. 

Targeting Remote Workers 

Hybrid offices have created opportunities for both companies and cybercriminals. As working from home has become the new norm, employees have become targeted by hackers with an increase in cyber risks, opening many doors to data theft and threats. 

  • Unsecure Wi-Fi: When working from a spare room or kitchen table, employees no longer have the comfort of high-speed internet or secured Wi-Fi as they would have working in the office. Be cautious of Wi-Fi networks that are not password protected. Using internet connection from public spaces make it incredibly easy for cybercriminals to spy on you and steal confidential data.   
  • Poor Security Measures: Cybercriminals have noticed the weakness in IT measures for remote workers and are looking to exploit their vulnerability. Unfortunately, when working from home, cybersecurity is not always up to par, and can put employees and companies at risk.  
  • Phishing Attacks: With employees having the luxury of working from home, many are either using their personal computers for work or using company computers with minimal security. With credit card details, account credentials and browsing history, cybercriminals use this to leverage their attacks. What many companies fail to realize is that by saving money by not providing company computers to employees, it results in a much greater expense – hackers capitalizing on easy access on points of entry.  

Proactive Safeguarding 

When the pandemic hit, very few of us realized that remote work would become a new trend lasting anywhere from a few months to the rest of our lives. Organizations worked quickly to provide employees with access to systems from home while making the transition as smooth as possible. Looking back, many companies have noticed that the implementation of security was somewhat overlooked, with many companies big or small paying a very large price.  

At Netsweeper, it’s our job to protect businesses and users against cyber threats, increase employee productivity, and reduce company liability. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cyberattacks have continued to rise, putting businesses and employees at great risk. Schedule a demo with one of our solution experts to see how we can help your organization. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay current with our latest blogs and tips on ways to stay safe in this digital era.      

Submitted by: Natasha Pande