Cybersecurity Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic

The real world is fragile. It is frightening to see how a virus can cause such massive disruptions across the globe. The digital world is fragile as well, as past cyberattacks have shown us. Many of the concepts and much of the language of cyber security are borrowed from the medical world's continuous battle against microbiological threats. The type and depth of response needed to battle a pandemic is similar to the level and depth of response needed to ward off cyberattacks. Our digital networks can be attacked by malicious viruses that can propagate and spread, causing widespread network infections. To defend, we try to identify the contaminated software or device and then we isolate it from the rest of our network. We teach our citizens to protect themselves with anti-virus software and to be very careful when electronically touching (clicking on) things, because they could get infected. Every crisis teaches us life lessons and this one has also taught a few lessons that can be related and taken note off in both the worlds - medical and digital. To counteract COVID-19, there are simple lessons that people around the world are learning about hygiene, applying these lessons to viruses and cyber viruses they encounter every day. COVID-19 has changed how people work, and cybersecurity needs to reflect this new normal. The challenge here is not new technology, but old mindsets. Think of this as a refresher on hygiene and a lesson on cyber hygiene!