In the span of a couple months, the world as we knew it was turned upside-down. As scientists across the globe conduct experiments in search of the COVID-19 vaccine, the labour market has found itself within its own experiment. That is, the experiment of remote working on a massive scale.
In an effort to slow down the spread of the virus, millions of employees around the world are being told to write their emails, compile their spreadsheets, and hold their meetings from the confines of their dining room table or makeshift office space at home. Whilst in 2018 hardly 13% of companies encouraged remote working, this has since increased substantially to 45% in mid-March 2020. In the UK alone, the British Chambers of Commerce revealed that at least 54% of businesses have resorted to remote working “to maintain business continuity”. Admittedly, this trend has been growing steadily over the years. However, business security teams simply could not have anticipated its recent sharp spike, prompted by the pandemic. Undoubtedly, this sudden change, plus the added uncertainty of the pandemic itself, has created the ideal playground for bad actors.
As people frantically search for answers, less attention is being paid to sources or credibility of information in circulation. This facilitates the notorious tactic of phishing as they are less likely to think twice before clicking a malicious link. Indeed, Barracuda Networks reported a 667% upsurge in phishing emails since the end of February. Such emails have varied from scammers offering to sell non-existent cures or face masks, to donation requests for fictitious charities. In other instances, authorities such as the World Health Organisation or lo ..
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