COVID-19 Cybersecurity Toolkit – Essential Tips on Staying Safe During the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has made a big impact on our day-to-day lives, drastically changing all of our daily routines and forcing many people to start working from home. While working remotely and minimizing direct contact helps slow down the spread, it also brings a whole new set of challenges to the table. The biggest one of all is undoubtedly data security. In this week’s Zlog, we’re going to share with you a few essential tools you should have in your COVID-19 cybersecurity toolkit and go over a few tips that will help you stay safe online during the pandemic.
COVID-Themed Online Attacks
As it happens during every extraordinary global situation, the COVID-19 pandemic has also served as an opportunity for malevolent online users looking to profit from the current circumstances. The most notable example of this are hackers who have been sending malicious attachments while impersonating WHO officials. The situation has progressed so far that even the WHO had to issue a statement warning users to watch out for malicious emails and messages from hackers pretending to work under this organization.
Many healthcare organizations across the US have also been hit with ransomware, with has, in some instances, lead to patient information leaking online. Moreover, you can even find hackers who are selling online phishing kits for those looking to infect innocent users. These are just some of the things online users should be wary of so that they ensure their maximum safety.
Useful Tips for Staying Safe Online
If you’re working from home or spend a significant portion of the day using the Internet, you must take certain precautions to ensure you’re safe from malicious attacks. Here are a few actions we recommend you take to safeguard your private and sensitive information:
- Update Your Software – Make sure you’re using up to date software on all of your devices, both corporate and individual. Out of data, the software might not be able to stand a new ransomware attack, making your device more vulnerable to breaches.
- Don’t Mix Personal and Work Data – In line with the previous tip, use your devices only for personal matters and work devices for work. Avoid installing apps and services that don’t belong on the intended device.
- Use Strong Passwords – While this might seem like a no-brainer, week passwords are still one of the major causes of security breaches. Take care of your passwords and apply Multi-Factor Authentication wherever possible.
- Secure Your Wi-Fi Network – Most of us default to using pre-set settings and passwords on our routers. Changing these can help you secure your access point and avoid any attacks from other previously connected devices.
The Essential COVID-19 Cybersecurity Toolkit
Most cybersecurity breaches during this pandemic have happened because the attackers took advantage of the lack of security home networks have compared to corporate ones. With that in mind, there are a couple of useful tools you can include in your COVID-19 cybersecurity toolkit to be sure that you’re maximally protected.
Use a Trustworthy Antivirus
Although it’s unlikely that you’ll get infected with an actual computer virus these days, antivirus also protects you against ransomware attacks and data-stealing Trojans, which are much more common today. With that said, not every antivirus software is worth your trust, or equally capable of protecting your sensitive data. Luckily, there are many options available out there, so you can pick the one you find to be the most to your liking.
Get a VPN App
When it comes to security apps and services, a VPN is a must-have tool in your COVID-19 cybersecurity toolkit. It not only protects and hides all of your information and browsing activity but also allows you to access unrestricted Internet anywhere you are. With that said, just like the previous tool, this one comes in many different packages. There are many VPNs out there, so it’s essential to choose the one that offers you the features you’re looking for.
The COVID-19 pandemic certainly caught most of the world by surprise, and we can’t tell when it’s going to end. However, with the situation being as is, it’s imperative to make sure that you’re as secure as possible, both online and in real life. Get ZoogVPN today and be sure that all of your sensitive information is safe and protected against cyber attacks.
Yaroslav S.CEO at ZoogVPN. Yaroslav is a versatile manager with extensive customer support experience. His historical background and a deep passion for philosophy perfectly complete a real desire to create meaningful content and tech products.
