The number of crimes and cyber actors exploiting the current COVID-19 pandemic for their own objectives has been increasing in the face of closed business premises and people working from home. A growing use of COVID-19 related themes by malicious cyber actors has been noticed in the surge of home working and the use of potentially vulnerable services, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), amplifying the threat to individuals and organisations.
Here is the latest advice on how to protect your business premises by carrying out security risk assessments and cyber security checks to identify any obvious vulnerabilities.
1. If you have been instructed by the government to close your business in line with the Covid-19 guidance or you have chosen to close, it is a good time for you to review your security to reduce the chances of your premises being targeted by opportunist thieves, or your business being subjected to cyber-attacks. See ‘Top 10 Security Tips for Closed Business Premises’ by Secured by Design here.
2. East Midlands Special Operations Unit provide ‘COVID-19 Cyber and Fraud Protect Messages’ to raise awareness among businesses and the public. Read more here.
3. A joint advisory was released from the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre and the United States Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. It provides information on exploitation by cyber-criminal and advanced persistent threat (APT) groups of the current coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic. To read the advisory click here.
4. National Cyber Security Centre advises on the threat of becoming a ransomware victim. Read more here.
