Cybersecurity Awareness: The dark side of digital – cyber threats are proliferating online

In August the United Nations’ counterterrorism head said that phishing sites had risen four-and-a-half times in the first quarter of 2020. This was part of a significant rise in cybercrimes in the past several months; countries focused on containing and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a global trend that has sent cybersecurity experts into overdrive.

In India, when the lockdown happened, in order to not lose any working day, companies immediately shifted to online; digital modes to ensure continuity of work. Dedicated broadbands, WiFis, mobile hotspots – companies encouraged employees to use anything they could to work online. India went digital in a haste; what would have probably taken some years happened in just a few months.

But it has come at a heavy price.

The hurry to do everything online has exposed many industries and sectors to cybersecurity risks as never before.

In an office environment, enterprise networks are set up to minimise external threats. And there are firewalls, intrusion detectors, checks and balances to prevent data leakage and prevent security breaches. However,  at home, all this is missing. Left to their own devices, individuals prefer convenience over security. Many home users do not use adequate cybersecurity software to protect their devices hacks or compromises.

Though many companies have provided their employees with company devices, it is difficult to monitor their activities remotely. Not everyone will be downloading and installing critical software updates. There is a reluctance to buy expensive software and resort to free versions that are not able to identify or block threats and do not update themselves to deal with fresh ones. Remember, many of these individuals would be dealing with critical data and have enterprise software installed on their personal computers.

Small and medium enterprises are at greater risk because they typically tend to spend less on cybersecurity in order to minimise overheads. But the cost of this can be enormous when they become the targets of hackers.

What have organisations done?

Aware of the cybersecurity risks, many technology companies dealing with sensitive data of clients have migrated to the cloud. Working on cloud platforms makes it easier for companies to ring-fence data. They can even track employee activities with the use of specialised cybersecurity platforms. However, access to the cloud is still through individual devices and internet networks and the threat of security breaches persist.

As we observe Cybersecurity month in October, companies should realise that they ought not to compromise on data safety and call in the experts to create a safer digital experience for themselves and their customers. Digital is definitely convenient, but remember, there is a dark side to it as well.