Chronicle Editor
Sithabile Gandi Ndlovu
FROM government leaders to health workers, family and friends, Covid-19 remains a mystery yet to be solved, faster. Everyone, including non-experts have something to say about the pandemic, which is worrying. In what can be the only source of hope at the moment in fighting the virus, more than half of the world is practising social distancing.
Due to that, now more than ever people have come to rely on technology for just about everything, from communication with family and friends, to remote working and sharing of information. For example, World Health Organisation recently launched a dedicated messaging services in Arabic, English, French and Spanish with partners WhatsApp and Facebook to keep people safe from coronavirus. This easy-to-use messaging service has the potential to reach two billion people and enables WHO to get information directly into the hands of the people that need it. Zimbabwe, among other governments, have robustly employed technology to access its citizens in raising awareness of the virus.
While technology provides us with all these endless and amazing opportunities it also makes us vulnerable to malicious attacks and assaults by cyber criminals. Despite the fact the rest of the world is focused on the threat that Covid-19 places on humanity, cyber criminals are working tirelessly to capitalise on the crisis.
Information security and cyber ethics are of great importance during a time such as this one. We must be conscious of how we conduct ourselves on the cyber space, for instance being good digital citizens. It is equally important to ensure that our information and systems are protected, there are a variety of tools and technologies that may be used for this by organisations. Attackers will be quick to take advantage of the fact that most people working from home had not adequately prepared for this beforehand.
Most of the time security policies and technologies used in the workplace will not be the same as those used at home and hackers can use that to exploit companies and individuals. Clear guidance must be provided to ensure that home working policies include easy to follow steps that empower employees to make their home working environment secure. Employees must also be encouraged to communicate any suspicious activities. Employees must also be encouraged to use their work devices strictly for work and personal devices for personal use.
Cyber attacks can be described as socially or politically motivated attacks carried out primarily through the Internet. Attacks target the general public, national and corporate organisations and are carried out through the spread of malicious programs (viruses), unauthorised web access, fake websites, and other means of stealing personal or institutional information from targets of attackers causing far-reaching damage.
The best defence against cyber attacks is good offence. Within the past year, cyber attacks have become a scary reality for practically every individual and organisation worldwide. Regardless of who the individual victim is, size of the business, organisation’s government stature, the looming threat of hackers on a mission to steal information is real. As the frequency of cyber attacks and data breaches grows, the failure to have a plan of counter-attack for your company is not an option. Businesses must be prepared and responsible when it comes to protecting themselves from hackers.
Businesses need to know the risks. Properly protecting your company from a cyber attack starts with a well-rounded understanding of the internal and external vulnerabilities your business faces when it comes to a hacker. You must know and understand what not to do. For instance adding firewalls and filters to a platform that is already insecure is basically the same as attaching a padlock to a screen door.
Eventually, cyber criminals will locate the vulnerability.
One needs to discover where the major problems are, and then have a professional fix the issue. This is the only way that you can ensure that your system is going to remain safe. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can help create trusted connection between employees and their organisation and ensure secure access to corporate tools.
For companies holding important data, be sure to take measures to always have this information encrypted. Keep your information safe by turning to full-disk encryption tools which come standard with most operating systems. Switching the encryptions of these devices on shouldn’t take more than a minute and will encrypt every file on your drive without slowing it down. Information security must be an embraced aspect of company culture for any company operating in the 21st century business environment.
As a leader you can’t be the only one taking measures to keep your company’s and customers’ information safe. Employees must be aware of the ways in which they themselves can put the company at risk. To keep them aware of possible cyber attacks make certain that all employees know to always keep their eyes peeled for potential threats and be aware of how to keep information safe. For example attackers are currently making use of Covid-19 themed phishing emails which disguise as delivering official information on the virus but are actually intended to lure individuals to click malicious links that download Remote Administration Tools (RAT) on their devices commonly referred to as RATs in the cyber security field as RATs.
The importance of cyber security awareness can not be over overemphasised and it is clear that the weakest link in cyber security is the human factor. If employees lack the ability to make informed and educated decisions as simple as what network to connect to, or which email attachment to open, a shattering cyber attack is inevitable.
Nationally awareness of cyber threats among the public, companies and government employees must be promoted. Citizens must be aware of best practises and proactive measures when confronted by cyber risks. Everyone must understand that they have a role to play in strengthening cyber security as cyber crime shows no sign of slowing down and cyber attacks have the capacity to potentially incapacitate us.
As we continue to fight this pandemic, it is highly recommended that people ensure that they verify information they receive on microblogging sites by visiting official sites or calling hotlines shared by line ministries. The spreading of fake news is a cyber security risk and it is also a criminal offence. Together we can contribute to creating a conducive digital environment by being ethical and responsible digital citizens.
Online Reporter