Effect of COVID-19 on Information Technology
Introduction
Since COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the world has been forced to change its operational mechanisms in that it has been affected to an extent that most aspects of the economy have come to a standstill. Many organizations have turned to information technology to execute their daily operations by ensuring that people work from home. Increased application of information technology to work, study, communicate, make purchases and payments have created a conducive environment for cyber-criminals to attack. Organizations should educate their employees on the risks of cyber-security attacks to minimize chances of attack. Along with numerous deaths in the world, COVID-19 has increased confusion and caused mass hysteria, an aspect that has created perfect grounds for cyber-attacks.
Article Summary
The outbreak of COVID-19 caused massive panic coupled with a compulsory lockdown in most parts of the world including China, Italy, Spain, and the UK, among others. However, many activities have continued operating owing to the application of information technology systems. People have become reliant on technology for social interactions, news, communication, working, making purchases, and entertainment, among others. According to Mouton & De Coning (2020), the major contribution to increased threats of cybersecurity have been facilitated by increased reliance on digital infrastructure, network infrastructure, and online connectivity. The consumption of online information has created anxiety and uncertainty that has increased the chances of engaging in risky behavior. As such, these aspects have made it easy for cybercriminals to attack through the application of social engineering techniques in the threat landscape.
Phishing is considered one of the most common forms of cyber-attack during this period. Considering that the world is eager to understand the events and situation caused by COVID-19, phishing has become a successful mechanism of attack, particularly through e-mails and messages. Cybercriminals have taken advantage of the condition created by tax authorities to assist victims to cope with the pandemic such as tax refunds. As such, they often act real and ask for details such as phone number, address, name, and bank card numbers, most of which are provided owing to the anxiety and uncertainty created by the pandemic (Mouton & De Coning, 2020). One common phishing scam was the 1000USD scenario where it was stated that the United States had offered to assist individuals to find relief and one had to provide details by clicking on the link provided. Although the government had not made any formal announcement on the same, many people fell victim to the attack.
The use of fake URLs is another mechanism employed by cybercriminals to inject malicious malware into sites. People have become victims of such attacks due to the desire to get information on the pandemic. Physical attacks have also increased which are mostly reliant on information gathered through social engineering. In South Africa, individuals often pose as good samaritans and ask to disinfect the house while the victims remain outside only to get away with essential valuables. In order to prevent such attacks, individuals should be advised on the importance of remaining alert and reducing the chances of becoming victims to cyber-attacks as a result of anxiety.
Real-Life Situation
Recently the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department experienced a cyber-attack on their computer system, which was said to be a campaign of disinformation and disruption to undermine the company’s ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Records showed that the networks did not experience any penetration or degradation of functioning in the networks (Jacobs & Stein, 2020). However, the attack attempted to overload the HHS servers with hits although the attack was not successful at slowing the systems significantly owing to their awareness on cyber-attacks and ability to heighten security in the infrastructure.
Application in Field of Study
The ongoing trend of cyber-attacks amid the COVID-19 has been of great influence in my field of information technology management. Information technology management is an influential field of study particularly during pandemics like this when individuals are filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Efficient application of cyber-attack strategies and management of technology systems can be influential in reducing the possibility of cyber-attacks (Liu, De Vel, Han, Zhang, & Xiang, 2018). Additionally, my field of study can be applied to educate individuals to detect suspicious emails, links, and messages, to reduce their susceptibility to cyber-attacks.
Conclusion
Along with numerous deaths in the world, COVID-19 has increased confusion and caused mass hysteria, an aspect that has created perfect grounds for cyber-attacks. Although the availability of information technology has made it easy to execute operations with ease, the growth of cyber-attacks has created detrimental effects in various segments of the economy. As an expert in information technology, it is important for an organization to understand the importance of training their employees such as to enhance their ability to detect cyber-attacks. This is important since, although the pandemic might be managed soon, cybercriminals will continue taking advantage of individuals who are unaware of such attacks. Additionally, organizations should take measures to increase security through the use of firewalls, strong passwords, and employing an updated internet security suite.
- Flights are cancelled everywhere and people are unsure whether they can
References
Jacobs. J., & Stein, S., (2020 March 16). Cyber-Attack Hits U.S. Health Agency Amid Covid-19 Outbreak. Bloomberg. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-16/u-s-health-agency-suffers-cyber-attack-during-covid-19-response
Liu, L., De Vel, O., Han, Q. L., Zhang, J., & Xiang, Y. (2018). Detecting and preventing cyber insider threats: A survey. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 20(2), 1397-1417. doi: 10.1109/COMST.2018.2800740
Mouton, F., & De Coning, R., (2020). COVID-19: Impact on the Cyber Security Threat Landscape. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340066124_COVID-19_Impact_on_the_Cyber_Security_Threat_Landscape