Are we storing up major Coronavirus Cybersecurity issues down the line?

As we all start to #WFH (Work From Home), Cybersecurity experts are beginning to raise fears that networks will inevitably now be under the unfriendly scrutiny of hackers.

Thus a piece in The Wall St Journal this week that predicts that, “The fallout from coronavirus-related breaches may not become clear for weeks, months or even longer, experts say [and how] the expected delay highlights how confusion from the pandemic has created long-term security risks that could eat up precious resources as the economy hurtles toward a recession.”

The piece then quotes the CTO of Cybersecurity firm Forcepoint that, “Very well-organized criminal organisations or nation-states—they can wait… They get to more data. They can learn more about the environment.”

Overstretched IT teams might not be able to keep up with updating their networks, the story continues, while nonessential businesses that have effectively closed shop could prove to be easy targets as “workers’ use of private devices and services give attackers ample opportunity to avoid employers’ detection tools”.

TheFBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has also already warned of an uptick in phishing scams against businesses, while The World Health Organization told Reuters that hackers have already targeted it with a malicious look-alike website.

The journalist also says that it had “confirmed” with the UK’s National Crime Agency that it is investigating an alleged ransomware attack against Hammersmith Medicines Research Ltd., a drug-testing company that has carried out trials for the Ebola vaccine and other treatments.

More sophisticated groups could use the upheaval to penetrate networks and quietly search for bank account numbers, trade secrets or personally identifiable information that is financially or politically valuable, it then states.

“The question is whether companies and governments can also play the long game. Widespread office closures over the past two weeks have overloaded some virtual private networks with remote workers, according to cybersecurity experts,” it warns.

How to scale up VPNs to handle the surge in traffic is also identified as an issue.

Debbie Gordon, chief executive of Cloud Range Cyber LLC, which works with businesses to war-game cyberattacks, is then quoted as saying IT teams will continue to be pulled between helping employees maintain productivity and aggressively policing potential breaches.

“That balancing act—let alone new security investments—might prove difficult for businesses tightening their budgets amid an economic slowdown,” the story predicts.

Finally, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency at the Department of Homeland Security has urged public- and private-sector workers to patch their systems, be on the lookout for abnormal activity, and ensure machines have properly configured firewalls.