{"id":1135,"date":"2020-07-15T22:02:28","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T22:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crigroup.com\/?p=1135"},"modified":"2021-10-08T11:39:27","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T11:39:27","slug":"covid-impact-on-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crigroup.com\/ar\/covid-impact-on-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19\u2019s impact on Cyber security: is your team safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you download an app and it asks to access your contacts, location, and other information, it seems harmless enough, right? Surely the app will only use your data for its stated purpose, and only when needed?\u00a0We all know that is not the whole truth. However, with COVID-19 forcing your workforce to embrace new practices of remote working you need to ensure your team’s business data is safe and your cyber security is too. Cybercriminals around the world are capitalising on this crisis, and your employees may not be aware.\u00a0WHO<\/a> reports fivefold increase in cyber attacks, urges vigilance, according to the\u00a0article<\/a>\u00a0some 450 active WHO email addresses and passwords were leaked online along with thousands belonging to others working on the novel COVID-19 response.<\/p>\n

According to a ScienceDaily<\/a>\u00a0article,\u00a0“7 in 10 smartphone apps share your data with third-party services.”\u00a0As the article warns:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cMore than 70 percent of smartphone apps are reporting personal data to third-party tracking companies like Google Analytics, the Facebook Graph API or Crashlytics. When people install a new Android or iOS app, it asks the user\u2019s permission before accessing personal information. Generally speaking, this is positive. And some of the information these apps are collecting <\/em>are<\/em> necessary for them to work properly: A map app wouldn\u2019t be nearly as useful if it couldn\u2019t use GPS data to get a location.\u00a0<\/em>But once an app has permission to collect that information, it can share your data with anyone the app\u2019s developer wants to \u2013 letting third-party companies track where you are, how fast you\u2019re moving and what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The article also finds that the problem is not just limited to\u00a0cell phones and tablets:<\/p>\n

\u201cTracking users on their mobile devices is just part of a larger problem. More than half of the app-trackers we identified also track users through websites. Thanks to this technique, called \u201ccross-device\u201d tracking, these services can build a much more complete profile of your online persona.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Another article,\u00a0\u201cYour Apps May Be Selling You Out\u201d\u00a0by\u00a0Mondaq<\/a>,\u00a0sounds the alarm as well. The authors write that many of us likely aren\u2019t aware of the degree to which our information is shared with advertisers and other third parties when we sign up for various apps. The principle is simple enough:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have ever downloaded a \u2018free\u2019 app, you may have pondered how the app’s creator can maintain a financially viable company by giving away its product. The answer soon becomes evident when an advertisement pops up, interrupting your interaction with the app. The less obvious answer may come to you when you uncomfortably wonder how the ad that just popped up somehow relates to the items you browsed on Amazon a few days ago. Coincidence? Probably not. This happens because, in addition to selling advertisements, app creators may also access and sell information collected from your phone to allow advertisers to customize the ads they send to your device.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

How can people reasonably expect to solve this dilemma, and protect their privacy? How can organisations help their teams protect themselves? Short of changing laws, the answer is to be more vigilant in monitoring downloaded apps and our security settings.\u00a0Follow this advice:<\/p>\n