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.

Social engineering is an attack mechanism majorly aimed at misleading employees or individuals to hand over relevant information for the attacker’s financial gain. Social engineering attacks are launched mostly via email, social media, and over the phone.

5G is a wireless technology with higher speeds and increased bandwidth, which means that you can download/stream videos online at a faster rate without worrying much about the number of users on the network. 5G networks also help reduce the time needed for data to travel across the network. This process is called latency, which is a major factor in automated processes, such as self-driving cars and factory robots. Due to the massive connectivity of devices collectively known as the Internet of Things (IoT) across 5G networks, viable and in-depth security measures should be in place to prevent cybercriminals from hijacking the connected devices or launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

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.

Small and large enterprises continue to benefit from increased digitization and greater use of cloud-based application and storage facilities. Cloud services are making it possible for businesses to place their information and data in “containers” that can be deployed consistently and reliably.

ProtonMail, a Swiss-based email service provider, duped a sophisticated phishing scheme against a team of journalists from Bellingcat. The cybercriminals had written an email that claimed to be from the ProtonMail team and asked for their login credentials. While the motives appear to be political, ProtonMail prevented their success by partnering with Swiss authorities in shutting down the web domains involved. Should the phishers have succeeded, ProtonMail’s user interface (UI) would have been easy to bypass — no matter how cutting edge their system’s security is.

Ransomware has become one of the most pressing and expensive cybersecurity threats in recent years. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, a ransomware attack happens every 14 seconds, resulting in damage costs amounting up to $11.5 billion. These numbers are only predicted to increase the more daring cybercriminals become.

When hackers breach a database, they take advantage of weak or stolen passwords 81% of the time. This is what led Troy Hunt to publish a new version Pwned Passwords where people can verify if the password they typed in has been leaked in a previous data breach. The intention is there: businesses are not supposed to let their customers (or employees) use compromised passwords, especially those written in plain text. This begs the question: are passwords enough to secure companies when an actual breach happens?

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.