https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Cybersecurity


Partner content

Cybersecurity crisis management during the coronavirus pandemic

Cybersecurity crisis management during the coronavirus pandemic

  • Written by Brian Buntz / IoT World Today
  • 24th March 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is arguably the first time a biological virus has a significant impact on the security industry. Cybercriminals can exploit the vulnerabilities in the security protections of medical facilities, homes and factories. At the same time, a handful of governments have rethought physical security with surveillance infrastructure to enforce coronavirus quarantines.

The pandemic could also catalyze technological and regulatory change, according to Aleksander Poniewierski, global Internet of Things (IoT) leader at EY. The stress of the pandemic will leave many people vulnerable to social engineering —  deceptive tactics to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential information — in coming months, Poniewierski said.

The rapid shift to remote working, for office workers as well as executives monitoring IoT-enabled operations remotely, opens up threats related to expanded network access.

“We can expect large-scale implementations of automation and remote-working infrastructure without using robust architectural planning,” Poniewierski said. “Many employees are creating command centers in their home environment with minimal security protections. ”

A ‘Perfect Storm’ in Health Care
The health care industry, which has struggled to secure connected medical devices and legacy equipment in recent years, will likely be pushed to the limit in upcoming months. The potential of COVID-19 to spread exponentially could quickly overwhelm hospital systems, as McKinsey has observed. That fact opens the door for a surge in ransomware and other attacks, said Jarrett Kolthoff, chief executive officer at SpearTip. “Any organization in turmoil faces a potentially increased cyber-risk,” he said.

Already, the University Hospital Brno, which is one of the Czech Republic’s largest coronavirus test centers, suspended operations on March 13 after a purported ransomware incident. The malware delayed surgeries and testing of dozens of coronavirus samples. In the U.S., ransomware has temporarily blocked public coronavirus updates on a Champaign-Urbana Public Health website.

Previous ransomware attacks on health care institutions have established a dangerous precedent. The 2017 WannaCry attack, for instance, affected many hospitals as well as devices such as network-connected imaging and nurse call systems.

Complicating matters, “many IoT-enabled health care devices are not updated with the latest operating systems and security patches,” Kolthoff said. Applying security patches to medical systems could introduce new bugs as they fix others.

Hospitals under duress are also more likely to pay ransoms in the event of a ransomware attack. “At this time, it’s natural [for hospitals] to focus on continuing operations of critical services,” said Hardik Modi, a senior executive at Netscout Systems Inc.

Critical Infrastructure Could Also See an Uptick in Risk

Local governments and critical infrastructure must also contend with strained, unreliable communication channels, according to a New York Times article. As with health care, many industrial organizations find themselves looking to modernize while continuing to use aging technology. “And in the manufacturing realm, you have this labor shortage, and many companies are trying to move to technology-driven production,” Kolthoff said. Industrial organizations have valuable information on their networks, and, given the high cost of downtime, are often willing to pay in the event of a ransomware attack.

To read the complete article, visit IoT World Today.

Tags: Applications Artificial Intelligence Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Enterprise Federal Government/Military Incident Command/Situational Awareness Internet of Things IoT/Smart X News Policy Public Safety Regional Coordination Security State & Local Government System Operation Test & Measurement Tracking, Monitoring & Control Partner content

Most Recent


  • Ransomware, data breaches inundate OT & industrial sector
    Three-quarters of industrial firms suffered a ransomware attack in the past year, with far more compromises affecting operational technology (OT) than ever before — representing a surge in attacks driven by both the industrial sector’s vulnerability and propensity to pay ransoms in order to remain operational. In the past 12 months, more than half of […]
  • How and why AT&T selected Fujitsu radios for 5G
    Lost in AT&T’s big $14 billion announcement with Ericsson for open RAN was the fact that it also plans to purchase 5G radios from Fujitsu. The move represents a major win for the Japanese wireless network equipment vendor, which is relatively unknown outside its home market. “In order to support the acceleration of open RAN in AT&T’s […]
  • PSSA asks FCC for FirstNet Authority license at 4.9 GHz, opposes CERCI proposal
    A Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA) filing this week reiterates its call for the FCC to award a nationwide license of 4.9 GHz  spectrum to the FirstNet Authority, ignoring a recent coalition filing that asks the commission to approve rules that would let local jurisdictions largely determine how the airwaves are used. Jeff Johnson, executive […]
  • Critical Bluetooth flaw exposes Android, Apple & Linux devices to takeover
    Attackers can exploit a critical Bluetooth security vulnerability that’s been lurking largely unnoticed for years on macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux device platforms. The keystroke injection vulnerability allows an attacker to control the targeted device as if they were attached by a Bluetooth keyboard, performing various functions remotely depending on the endpoint. Tracked as CVE-2023-45866, the flaw exists […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Cybersecurity crisis management during the coronavirus pandemic
    Newscan: Feds recover millions from pipeline ransom hackers, hint at U.S. Internet tactic
  • Cyber is the new Cold War, and AI is the arms race
  • Microsoft patches 6 zero-day vulnerabilities under active attack
  • IoT connectivity spending climbs as COVID-19 cases decline

Commentary


Things to know about IWCE 2024: The basics 

5th December 2023

Land mobile radio (LMR) systems are just as vulnerable to cyberattacks as any other networks used in the public-safety sector. Here’s what to do about it.

  • 2
7th November 2023

September 3GPP Plenary meetings feature Release 18 progress, Release 19 beginnings

13th October 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.