Advertisement
Internet
TechEnterprises

New cybersecurity threats emerging amid coronavirus pandemic, researchers warn

  • The rise of remote working, e-learning and online health consultations are opening up new fronts in the battle over cybersecurity
  • There was a 131 per cent increase in viruses detected in March this year compared to the same month last year, one cybersecurity company says

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The coronavirus pandemic is exposing internet users to a whole new level of risk online. Photo: Shutterstock
Che Pan
The coronavirus pandemic is not only a major health threat for the world, but is also exposing internet users to a whole new level of risk online as remote working software, telemedicine and online education become more common globally, according to researchers.
Advertisement

“More businesses in traditional industries are accelerating their digital transformation by using remote-working technologies to ensure business continuity, resulting in a spike in cyber threats arising from data leakage, phishing scams, ransomware and internet frauds,” the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team and Coordination Center of China (CNCERT) said in a report on Monday.

The Chinese government cybersecurity agency added that remote working apps, online medical consultations and e-learning are complex systems harbouring vulnerabilities hackers could exploit.

Distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) aimed at online education platforms as well as phishing attacks have also been rampant since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in January, CNCERT said in the report.

DDoS attacks are designed to crash internet servers by bombarding them with vast numbers of requests, while phishing attacks are attempts by hackers to obtain sensitive information – such as usernames, passwords and credit card details – through electronic communications such as emails while pretending to be legitimate entities.

With schools in many countries still closed and organisations asking employees to work from home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, more people than before are vulnerable to cyber threats through remote working and learning systems. Online security experts have also warned that phishing scams are exploiting heightened fears about the coronavirus among consumers and organisations.
loading
Advertisement