Cyber pandemic: A rising global threat

In every crisis there is opportunity, as the old adage goes, even for unscrupulous people. This especially applies to the coronavirus pandemic, which has opened opportunities for hackers to prey on distracted peoples and organizations in many countries.

In fact, the World Health Organization has urged people to be vigilant about this as early as April, as cyberattacks have increased fivefold. Last year, Deloitte’s Cyber Intelligence Centre reported a spike in phishing attacks, malspams and ransomware assaults after their perpetrators took advantage of Covid-19 to pretend as legitimate brands and mislead employees and customers alike. In June, Swissinfo.ch cited figures from the National Cyber Security Center in reporting that the number of cyberattacks — phishing, fraudulent websites and direct attacks on companies, among others — in Switzerland reached 350, compared to the usual 100 to 150.