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Security: Hacking Cases Spike Amid Pandemic Confusion
As workers stay home and access corporate systems remotely, a spike in hacking and security breaches is being reported. VMWare Carbon Black reports that ransomware attacks surged 148 percent in March over the levels in February.
Tom Kellermann, VMware cybersecurity strategist, said that “there is a digitally historic event occurring in the background of this pandemic, and that is there is a cybercrime pandemic that is occurring. It’s just easier, frankly, to hack a remote user than it is someone sitting inside their corporate environment.”
A federal government report by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, notes that “As organizations use VPNs for telework, more vulnerabilities are being found and targeted by malicious cyber actors. Malicious cyber actors may increase phishing emails targeting teleworkers to steal their usernames and passwords.”
Some reasons for the surge in security lapses include:
- Workers from home are using personal and rental devices that were not set up with standard company security patches and policies.
- There has been an increase in spam emails under the guise of COVID-19.
- Devices used in homes may be used by multiple family members, increasing the likelihood that malicious software could be inadvertently downloaded
- Companies weren’t prepared for large numbers of remote workers and their access solutions may be out of date.
