The warning of teleworkers at this time of crisis
Thousands of people, if not millions, now stay at home and work.
These may be students or professionals who are today forced to carry out the entire activity via the Internet. All this in this circumstance of global pandemic. We want to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. So we ask people to stay at home. But this is not without consequences. Indeed, internet traffic is increasing. This makes it difficult to exchange, but also exposes them. Because behind every line, every network, there is potentially a hacker willing to hijack or risk undermining all the information he can access or even any information system.
This article will also interest you: Coronavirus and Cybersecurity: 6 tips to make telecommuting safer
In this context everyone becomes an easy target for hackers especially those who were not used to protecting themselves. That's why Gabriella Nicolescu, a tenured professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering at Polytechnique de Montréal, says, "It's good to tell homeworkers to be careful." As CEO of the IT security company KyberSecurity, she added: "It's important that everyone is aware of these threats. […] It's getting more important. (…) Of course, with the switch to telecommuting, the amount of data that is circulating is much greater." Faced with the overexposure of certain personal data such as credit card numbers, corporate secrets, etc., "Attacks may multiply because the context is more favorable," she says. Unlike other sectors, e-commerce is booming. People are increasingly ordering on home delivery platforms, which are usually websites or other computer programs. In doing so, they constantly disclose certain information such as the telephone number, their names, addresses, their emails under certain conditions of financial information. Moreover, companies very often open to allow their employees to work from home. One more opening for hackers.
« What we don't know is how many companies already have solutions [of traffic monitoring and intrusion detection] in place. And is it they are effective. the professor said. However, the time is not not panic. Indeed it was special he recommends to keep calm and organize to avoid maximum damage. In this regard, Pierre Langlois, the director of the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering of Polytechnique Montreal says: "Many companies already had security systems in place (…) You can be sure that each responsible for corporate safety is looking at what effects it causes to have all these people at home. ». On the other hand, according to Steve Waterhouse, the Internet is monitored by several state structures it's in charge of computer security. On the Canadian side, we can see authorities such as the Royal Gendarmerie, and the Canadian security intelligence, not to mention of course the centre of security telecommunications.
The report read: "Canadians remain vigilant during this difficult time. Whether it's washing our hands, keeping our distance or coughing in a handkerchief or in the elbow fold, we take all necessary measures to prevent the saturation of the health system (…) But not everyone cares about the public interest. Cyberthreaters take advantage of growing concerns and people's legitimate fear of COVID-19 to spread misinformation and extract money or private data from their victims. […] The CyberSecurity Centre has found that malicious perpetrators are increasingly using coronavirus (COVID-19) to conduct phishing and scam campaigns. »
Now access an unlimited number of passwords:
