What are the cybersecurity fundamentals you need to know in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Read this article to know more.
Cybersecurity Fundamentals in 2021
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic. Until now, it causes a huge impact on our lives.
Aside from an immediate effect on our health, it also brought drastic changes to organizations. For one, employees had to work from home.
Even though it protects them from the virus, it made them at risk for cybersecurity. And we’ve seen that since the start of global lockdowns until now.
Impact of COVID-19 on Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Companies have to face challenges. They also knew that they need to respond to these rapidly. On top of that, companies should rethink their strategies to stay afloat in these turbulent times.
As a result of the pandemic, some of the challenges they have to face are the following:
Maintaining cybersecurity fundamentals while in crisis
Many companies experience financial and operational challenges. Because of that, their priorities of what to fund will shift.
Unfortunately, many deprioritized IT budgets. The hiring of security experts also freezes. As a result, many important security activities that make them resilient to attacks are dismissed.
The workforce will be absent
As COVID-19 infection rates rise, employees are likely to be absent, too. And this especially happens as we go closer to peak periods of infection.
So, those who remain may be less effective. Because of the additional pressures of lacking workforce, their efficiency may also decrease.
Shift to remote work and technology support
Shifting to remote work became imperative now. Lockdowns and social distancing protocols forced them to do so.
As a result, it changes both the IT infrastructure and the attack surface. that’s why IT teams will be more pressured. They will also need more technologies to adapt to these changes.
Companies will be reliant on remote access technologies
Now, many organizations move away from physical premises. So, they move to digital technologies.
For example, in-person meetings became virtual meetings. Employees also collaborate using tools.
How Organizations Can Mitigate Cybersecurity Risks
Here are some of the key actions that companies can do to reduce the damage of risks:
Ensure remote systems are secure
Organizations need to ensure that they regularly patch security gaps in networks. So, they can be ready for possible threats.
IT teams also have to apply rapid security tests. This will help them deploy new remote access systems.
Support your people to work safely and securely from home
Companies should also make sure that their training provider can provide modules on protecting networks from home. So, employees can understand the possible threats.
Importantly, employees should feel that they have the support of IT teams. That makes it easy for them to consult and report security concerns.
Identify critical security activities
Knowing which activities are crucial helps companies manage cybersecurity risks. For example, they can regularly identify vulnerabilities. Or monitor security in real-time.
It also allows them to ensure that their security resources are sufficient. As a result, they can ensure continuity of operations.
