In 2020, security trends have mutated in a matter of months. Since February, the FBI has reported a 300% jump in reported cybercrimes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alone has registered over 18,257 COVID-19 security complaints that consequentially equates to nearly $13.44 million in losses.

The takeover of high profile Twitter profiles last month on July 15 made headlines when public figures like former President Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk began announcing that they wanted to “give back” to the community. But instead of making a donation to a COVID-related charity or something similar, they were promising that if people would send them Bitcoin, then they would return twice as much as they were given.

2019 was the worst year on record for data breaches by a long shot, increasing by nearly 79% from 2018. Billions of records were compromised as bad actors exploited vulnerabilities and insiders accidentally and maliciously compromised customer and company data. Unfortunately, the record won’t last long. As we approach the halfway point in 2020, this year is already on pace to be the most devastating year ever for data breaches.

The term “espionage” often brings images of double agents and covert undercover missions to mind. This is how espionage is depicted in the movies, but in real life, it can take on many other forms. Businesses may not need to worry about James Bond spying on their company, but they should be concerned about corporate espionage. Corporate espionage, often referred to as industrial espionage, is the practice of spying for financial or commercial gain.

In June 2020, a knife attack at a kindergarten in China injured 39 people, many of them children. The perpetrator was a security guard at the school. This was an insider attack and a horrific act that happens far too often across the world. While the majority of the cybersecurity industry is focused on securing data, the growing convergence of digital and physical security remains unhinged.

The world has seen more unprecedented events in the first six months of 2020 than some see in a lifetime. From a pandemic threatening the health and lives of people worldwide and triggering unprecedented social isolation to recent devastating events catalyzing global civil unrest, this year almost feels apocalyptic. As always, in times of disruption and uncertainty, vulnerabilities are exposed, and opportunities are opened for the selfish few to capitalize on others’ misfortune.

Making the transition to a work from home arrangement has been a heavy lift for a lot of organizations. However, due to various risk factors and regulations, making the sudden shift to working from home has been more complicated for some sectors than others. Industries such as the financial and healthcare sectors, as well as those working for the government, face tighter restrictions on how they are allowed to work remotely.

Every organization needs to keep tabs on other players in the industry in order to stay competitive. It’s common for an organization to analyze a competitor’s website, perform secret shopping trips, and monitor a competitor’s marketing strategies. This type of competitive research is perfectly legal. But if an organization unlawfully obtains another company’s sensitive information, it is considered industrial espionage, which is illegal.