The global health crisis has created many difficult challenges that affect multiple aspects of our lives. In addition to troubling health concerns and a devastating number of people physically suffering from the virus, the global economy has also taken a hit. Retailers are being forced to rethink supply chains that have hitherto relied on China, businesses and individuals must prepare for a potential downturn, and companies are discovering a new workforce challenge every morning. due to possible exposure of workers to the virus. But another interesting aspect to examine concerns the influence of this epidemic on our online data. The need for isolation has resulted in a new reliance on technological tools, which can minimize our risk of exposure to COVID-19, but at the same time can affect our level of exposure to certain online threats. For businesses and individuals looking to protect their personal information during this crisis, here are some thoughts to keep in mind.
pirates are on the rise
For ruthless hackers, this widespread crisis represents an opportunity. The change in people's routine behavior and the general feeling of panic that we see in some areas has made the public more vulnerable, a situation that hackers are happy to exploit. Since the start of the crisis, more than 4.000 coronavirus-linked domains have been registered, 10% of which have already been identified as malicious or suspicious, including a fake "medical form" circulating online. In China, more than 7,500 cases of coronavirus fraud have been reported since the end of February. In the absence of cybersecurity professionals, banks have already warned of an increase in potential attacks, and these are just the most recent reports.
move online
The concept of remote work is nothing new and many companies around the world have been implementing it for years to strengthen the desired work-life balance. For employees working for companies that have not yet embraced this new approach, the virus and the resulting health instructions may have provided a much-needed push in the right direction. But some of us think that working from home is the ultimate dream, for cybersecurity policy experts, it's more like a nightmare. Companies find it nearly impossible to ensure that remote workers comply with security instructions and have much less control over how they handle their information when working from home. The transition to online also includes virtual conferences to replace canceled physical events and webinars in lieu of classes and meetings. These new steps make it easier for sensitive business information to leak into the wrong hands. Another factor concerns people who are spending most (or all) of their time at home due to quarantine instructions. They order online instead of leaving home, prepare their emergency stocks by increasing their online shopping activity, and are therefore more exposed to the risk of their data being collected and used by businesses and hackers.
Sacrifice our privacy in the name of health.
In addition to remote work and increased online activity, our control of online data has been affected by a new approach to medical and personal information. Outbreak investigations have transformed actions that, in the past, appeared to be a serious violation of privacy into a necessary and understood burden. To map each patient's potential spread risk, authorities use information pulled from our smartphones, subway maps, etc. While it is extremely important that everyone cooperate in such investigations, it is also important not to lose sight of our borders for the long term. We see advanced technologies like facial recognition (yes, even through masks) and AI used to support such investigations, and we can't help but wonder what things will be like once everything goes back to normal. Will we find ourselves in new terrain, where the use of such tools to monitor civilian behavior is the norm? Some might say we're already there, but it seems our willingness to share personal and medical information combined with innovative technology still poses new risks.
Approach the situation in a healthy way
Since the answer is never to leave the network, we just need to remember what is important to us and make sure that the secure borders we seek remain the goal after the global emergency ends. At the same time, we must take precautions to protect not only our health but also our information, and think twice before sharing personal data with unknown sources. The silver lining to this horrible reality is that we now understand how things spread. There are some similarities between a contagious virus and a lack of data control, in that both reach places we never imagined, and both need our attention to prevent disaster. Gal Ringel is co-founder and CEO of Mine.