At the current time, much is unknown about the COVID-19 pandemic that has swept the globe. However, there is an undeniable threat to local and international health and economic status. Business leaders, like you, have a key role in implementing strategies and crisis responses to the growing threat of the coronavirus. Here’s how business leaders should take action.

In April this year, Georgia Institute of Technology announced that they suffered a security breach leading to unlawful access to personally identifiable information of about 1.3 million students and staff. An internal investigation found that the unauthorized access to their network occurred in December 2018.

As of July 2018, downloadable apps on the Apple App Store reached 3.2 million. Data shows that social media applications are the most frequently used, allowing people to connect — and download other supporting apps. As people spend more time on their mobile phones, programming and production of apps are growing exponentially. While developing these products increases visibility and brand value for companies, it is equally important that leaders heed security guidelines.

2018 presented the possibilities and opportunities for cybersecurity. Unfortunately, these same technological advancements can be used for cybercrime. According to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report , malware and cyber threats continue to increase each year. Since 2017, there has been a 54% increase in mobile malware making systems more and more vulnerable. Cisco’s report shows that ransomware attacks exponentially increase by 350% per year, showing cause for urgency. With hackers and cyber criminals finding different ways to finesse through protected networks and hardware, it is high time for corporations to counter these threats.