Cyber Criminals Are Thriving During The Pandemic
While businesses scrambled to adapt to remote work, cyber criminals saw unprecedented opportunity. The rapid shift to distributed workforces created security gaps that attackers have been exploiting with devastating effectiveness. Understanding these threats is the first step toward protecting your organisation.
The Perfect Storm for Cyber Crime
Several factors combined to create ideal conditions for cyber attacks. Employees working from home often use personal devices and unsecured networks. IT teams stretched thin couldn't maintain normal security vigilance. And the general anxiety and uncertainty made people more susceptible to social engineering tactics.
Phishing attacks surged dramatically, with criminals crafting messages about health updates, government relief programmes, and company policy changes. These attacks exploit natural human curiosity and concern, making even security-conscious employees vulnerable.
Common Attack Vectors
Understanding how criminals operate helps organisations defend against them. The most prevalent attack methods include:
Business Email Compromise (BEC): Attackers impersonate executives or trusted partners to trick employees into transferring funds or sharing sensitive information. Remote work makes these scams more effective because employees can't simply walk to a colleague's desk to verify requests.
The average cost of a data breach now exceeds £3 million. For many small businesses, a single successful attack can be fatal.
Ransomware: Malicious software that encrypts your data and demands payment for its release has become increasingly sophisticated. Modern ransomware often exfiltrates data before encryption, threatening public release if ransom isn't paid. This double-extortion tactic has proven devastatingly effective.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Attacks: With more employees needing remote access, exposed RDP ports have become prime targets. Attackers use automated tools to discover vulnerable systems and exploit weak credentials.
Protecting Your Organisation
Effective cyber defence requires a multi-layered approach combining technology, processes, and training:
- Zero Trust Architecture: Assume no user or device is trustworthy until verified. Require authentication for all access requests, regardless of network location.
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Deploy advanced endpoint protection that can detect and respond to threats in real-time, even on remote devices.
- Email Security: Implement advanced email filtering that catches sophisticated phishing attempts before they reach employees.
- Regular Backups: Maintain offline, tested backups that can restore operations even after a ransomware attack.
- Security Awareness Training: Conduct regular training and simulated phishing exercises to keep security top-of-mind.
Incident Response Planning
Despite best efforts, breaches happen. Having a tested incident response plan dramatically reduces impact and recovery time. Key elements include clear roles and responsibilities, communication protocols, containment procedures, and recovery priorities.
VortexHive's security team helps organisations assess vulnerabilities, implement protective measures, and prepare for incidents. Our comprehensive security assessments identify gaps before attackers do. Contact us to schedule your security review.
