Digital attacks continue to weigh on the minds of industrial cybersecurity (ICS) professionals. In a 2019 survey, 88% of ICS experts told Tripwire they were worried about what a digital attack could mean for their industrial organization. The rate was even higher for those working in the manufacturing and oil & gas sectors at 89% and 97%, respectively. Such widely held concern suggests a need for industrial organizations to make greater investments in their digital security posture.

There are a few things that are easy to take for granted in a traditional office setting: the impromptu idea sharing that happens in unscheduled conversations, quick and easy access to audio-visual tools, and the energy that comes from being around others are just a few. But more importantly, it’s easy to forget that high-speed Internet access isn’t as ubiquitous as it sometimes seems, and there are many people, areas and job sites that have limited access and connectivity.

With most of the country sheltering in place and so many people working remotely, work-life balance is taking on a new meaning and cloud infrastructure is taking a beating. The dramatic increase in daily activity and network use is creating both a visibility challenge and an operating model shift for already lean security teams.

The Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) framework was developed by Jack Jones. FAIR is a risk management framework championed by the open group that enables organizations to analyze, measure, and understand risk. The FAIR model evaluates factors that contribute to IT risk and how they impact each other while breaking down risk by identifying and defining the risk model. FAIR is most often used to establish probabilities for the frequency and magnitude of data loss.

Cyberint research team closely monitors threats related to COVID-19, leveraging the global fear and uncertainty around it. Utilizing thematic lures, a variety of cyberattacks have been launched during a time when many are seeking critical information on the outbreak. Exploiting the headline-dominating crisis, individuals, organizations and governments alike are tricked into opening malicious payloads, visiting malicious websites and are subject to misinformation or fraud.

Just recently, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic. This decision brought with it several health and safety measures, and normal life came to a halt in many countries. This resulted in many organizations around the world adopting telecommuting methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While people are adjusting to the sudden changes in the way they work, cybercriminals are using this opportunity to exploit new vulnerabilities the work-from-home environment presents.

Acknowledging recent reports of ransomware targeting educational institutions, it is no wonder that there have also been articles that attempt to lure in readers with “free” tools. What is disappointing is that these “free” tools are little more than marketing pieces that direct you to click on readily available documentation from Microsoft or Google.