In 2021, there will be a cyberattack every 11 seconds. Here’s how to protect yourself

 The Print

13 December, 2020

By MICHAEL PARENT

Experienced outdoor athletes know that with winter rapidly approaching, the secret to success lies in protecting the core. That is, the body’s core temperature through layering, wicking and a host of ever-improving technical fabrics that prevent the cold, snow and ice from affecting performance.

The same could be said for cybersecurity. With organizations and workers now in their ninth month of COVID-19, the time has come to prepare as the threat of cyberattacks becomes even more menacing.

Cybersecurity experts predict that in 2021, there will be a cyberattack incident every 11 seconds. This is nearly twice what it was in 2019 (every 19 seconds), and four times the rate five years ago (every 40 seconds in 2016). It is expected that cybercrime will cost the global economy $6.1 trillion annually, making it the third-largest economy in the world, right behind those of the United States and China.

As the ongoing pandemic has a larger segment of the population working from home — with all of its attendant distractions — and the setting is ripe for exploitation. The humble home router has become the surface attack, and the harried, hurried, tired and stressed employee the target of choice. It’s no wonder that within months of the pandemic’s first lockdown, over 4,000 malicious COVID sites popped up on the internet.

The pandemic has forced organizations to innovate and adapt even more rapidly. Education, medicine, travel, retail and food services are but a few industries that have been radically transformed by COVID-19. Unfortunately, innovation and security rarely travel together.

What can organizations do to prepare then? It boils down to protecting the core: the people, processes and data that are the most critical to the organization.

Ref: https://theprint.in/tech/in-2021-there-will-be-a-cyberattack-every-11-seconds-heres-how-to-protect-yourself/565616/