Hackers, just like taxes will be around forever. They are notoriously opportunistic with no regard to current situations – COVID-19 even fits their agenda even better. Online threats rose as much as six times their usual levels in the early weeks following the outbreak according to Cloudflare. Phishing attempts also jumped by as much as 600% in March based on InfoSecurity Magazine.
These numbers along with the current circumstances call for a proactive security measure. It’s the right time to add security layers like an SSL certificate or ensure that your current security measures are working and updated.
Here are a couple of facts about the cybersecurity we’re dealing with right now, along with a couple of tips on how to improve your site’s protection.
Security risk increased with COVID-19
The massive shift to work from home caused IT security issues, which left companies and individuals reeling to ensure security from the “new office setting.” While IT environments are designed to offer the greatest protection to core systems behind company VPN and firewall solutions, the almost instant shift to remote work increased the risk anyway.
Businesses need to step up security penetration testing as well as audit the e-commerce site for ongoing and future security breaches. Security patch updates, multi-factor authentication, and unified threat management are some of these crucial steps.
Newly remote workers became a big threat
Users are unfortunately the easiest targets for hackers to penetrate a company’s system. We are seeing a surge of phishing and ransomware attacks that are expected to grow more as we tread the COVID-19 pandemic. They usually wait for users to make an error, then use this opening to inject malware to systems with goals to collect data and/ora activate code at a future date. There are so many who have paid dearly because of these attacks.
Companies need to educate users as this is the first guard against phishing, ransomware, and other threats like the hijacking of home routers. Users need to be trained on what phishing attacks look like and how to handle sensitive data. Training should include simulated phishing exercises and/or quizzes to ensure effectiveness.
Hackers of all sizes continue to invade
Hackers can be individuals seeking quick money from phishing or a group of syndicates looking to invade an entire company’s data. Hackers play on people’s credulity and fears. It may take a lot of time to compromise a system, so they oftentimes target individuals as a waypoint to access private information.
Companies need to address cybersecurity more strictly and not just rely on in-house resources. They must align with trusted security professionals who know their craft and can devote their attention to cybersecurity full-time.
For retailers and businesses that are still shifting their attention online due to the COVID-19, security is a literal need that can spell an end to an e-commerce business if left unchecked. As mentioned, the SSL certificate is one of the first lines of defense your site needs to stay secure online. It provides the highest levels of industry-standard security to establish safe, secure eCommerce transactions, protect passwords, credit card numbers, and most importantly, to secure your customer’s information.
By adopting security best practices above, your businesses can focus on efforts to sustain your operations and customers.
