Human Firewall Tip # 15: Coronavirus and Cyber Attack Prevention

As a recap, we have started this series by comparing basic cyber security terminologies as we compare it with COVID-19. Then we have tackled what are the on-going cyber attacks that are targeting people's fear and curiosity. 

To end the three-part "Coronavirus and Cyber Security" series, we are sharing how we can at least prevent to become a victim of cyber attacks that are taking advantage of the on-going pandemic situation.

• If you are curious about the on-going pandemic situation, always ensure to follow official updates from your World Health Organization (W.H.O.), local health organisation or local government by going directly to their website. The best way to do this is to type directly to the browser rather than clicking on links that have been shared to you via email, SMS or messenger. Go back to Human Firewall Tip # 7 to remind yourself about what are the basic social engineering techniques.
• Recent news about hackers stopping from attacking healthcare systems have at least restored our faith in humanity. Like any other good news, we still cannot put our guards down. Remember, we can trust but always need to verify! We always need to look for potential indicators to prevent potential compromise of our accounts or systems.
• Applying cyber security best practices as part of your daily hygiene is very important. This is the main reason why we are an advocate of making cyber security as part of your lifestyle. By doing this, we can be more more cyber smarter, we can help or teach people around us and we can feel good about ourselves because we know we are protecting our personal information and systems. You can always go back to the Human Firewall blog and read through the previous tips for your reference.

COVID-19 or coronavirus-themed cyber attacks are not new. Cyber criminals are always taking advantage of the "hype" to trick, scam or victimise people. They are doing this because of the lack of awareness. We need to do something to be more resilient during this situation and future events. We need to arm ourselves with knowledge so we can start building guard rails to prevent a successful cyber attack. As a Human Firewall, we need to be aware of common cyber attacks and potential opportunities that these can be unleashed.  As always, beware and be aware. 

Disclaimer: Following the Human Firewall tips are at your own discretion. Any actions you may take upon the information on this page is strictly at your own risk.