Whether you’re a cybersecurity enthusiast, a business leader or an owner, staying up to date with news about world crises is an absolute must.

The correct information will help you stay prepared to secure your business, clientele and everything you’ve built against would-be criminals looking for their next take.  Here’s what you need to know about how cybercriminals capitalize on disasters and how you can prepare for any attack.

How Do Criminals Take Advantage of World Crises?

When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, the whole world seemingly came to a halt. Entire industries faltered, the global health sector was overworked and anxiety was at an all-time high. People feared the worst and could only wait for news from the confines of their homes.

Everyone was glued to their phones, computer screens and TVs while waiting for news to trickle in about the unknown virus that took the whole world hostage. People wished to help but felt helpless. Many wanted to donate to first responders and researchers working against the clock to cut the spread of the virus.

It was all with good intentions, but unfortunately, bad actors noticed and picked up on an opportunity. With the sudden rise of remote work setups worldwide and by using people’s vulnerabilities against them, malicious cyber actors implemented a variety of attacks to scam ordinary people, businesses and organizations for a quick buck.

One of INTERPOL’s private sector partners reportedly detected 907,000 spam messages, 737 malware incidents and over 48,000 malicious URLs related to the COVID pandemic from January to April 2020. Criminals quickly developed several ways to trick people into believing and opening risky emails and donating to fraudulent donation drives.

The same thing happened during the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Hackers reportedly targeted Ukrainian banking websites to disrupt service mere days before the Russian invasion of the country. It was just one of many coordinated cyber attacks that hit Ukraine in 2022.

How to Maintain Cybersecurity in an Era of World Crises

Tensions are high in many parts of the world, and bad actors continue to wait at every corner for the right opportunity to strike. Scammers, hackers and other malicious cyber actors position themselves during conflicts and leverage the situation to force people and organizations into submitting to their demands.

Some widespread cyber attacks are currently being employed by cyber criminals and advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in the Israel-Hamas conflict. While some are already considered cyber warfare tactics, many attacks target would-be good samaritans who want to help ease the burden on affected communities and populations.

World crises come one after another and hackers and other malicious actors can do a lot of damage with the following schemes:

• Fraudulent donation drives for relief operations
• Phishing attacks on compromised systems and individuals
• Country-themed spoofs
• Disinformation attacks on private businesses and government and media websites
• Distributed denial of service attacks

Here are some ways to stay safe from cyber attacks during conflicts and other man-made disasters.

Introduce a Cyber-Resilient Culture

The world’s rapidly changing political landscape can affect cybersecurity measures. Having safeguards against cyber threats and preventing them may prove insufficient, especially with how criminals are scaling their efforts to attack and manipulate people and organizations.

Human error continues to be a primary factor in 88% of security breaches worldwide. Organizations must develop a mindset that allows them to face threats head-on when they occur. Leaders within organizations and companies — big or small — should cultivate a culture of cyber-resiliency.

Employees should be empowered to believe they can contribute to the overall success of cybersecurity programs and protocols in the event of infiltration. They should also be equipped with the right tools and knowledge to help them act accordingly during attacks. An organization with a strong cybersecurity mindset is less likely to succumb to threats from bad actors and groups.

Plan for Specific Risks of the Company and Industry

Knowing what bad actors are after is crucial in preparing for cyber attacks. Team leaders can delegate members to watch for specific hints, leading to earlier detection and quicker response. While hackers will try to get into any system they can squeeze into, they have specific targets they almost always go after:

• Healthcare: Hackers target the healthcare industry due to a lack of cybersecurity financing and abundant patient data and other personal information.
• Finance: Cyber criminals are opportunists always looking for a way inside financial institutions like banks and insurance companies. Some of their preferred tactics include stealing critical data, financial information and distributed denial of service to damage business reputations.
• Manufacturing: Companies in the manufacturing business are at significant risk from cyber attacks due to their large-scale production. Disrupting their services can be costly and hackers can profit greatly from ransom attacks.
• Automotive: Car manufacturers used to have more important things to worry about than hackers and malicious payloads. Now, the automotive industry is being targeted due to the widespread adoption of IoT technology in modern cars.
• Energy: Companies from the energy industry are constantly targeted by bad actors due to their aging infrastructure and essential services. Bad actors have caused electricity, gas and other utilities shortages worldwide through various attacks.
• Government: Government agencies hold essential records like tax identification, social security and health records. This fact alone makes them a favorite target among cybercriminals.

Security leaders and business owners can prioritize cybersecurity measures and prepare for attacks based on the data criminals are after. They can utilize deception technology and other security strategies to prevent criminals from accessing critical data and avoid costly repairs.

Implement Context-Based Security Training

Bad actors level up their attacks to fit the times. Using specific techniques like appealing to the emotions of their targets and using time-relevant themes, threat actors become more convincing and dangerous.

Security leaders can use real-world examples to help their team recognize and understand the threats better. They can also pinpoint APTs, their agenda and protocols to help team members react quickly during attacks. Knowing how these criminals operate, what they’re after and what they aim to accomplish will help create a holistic approach to cybersecurity and cyber resiliency measures.

Organizations and businesses must also learn how to recover quickly and still function after an attack. Security leaders should spearhead contextual learning to improve their members’ ability to respond to threats and deal with them.

Crisis Preparedness is Part of Cybersecurity

Preparation is crucial to ensure the future of any organization, business or company. Key leaders should invest in quality training for their staff and see cybersecurity as an absolute need rather than a mere afterthought. An organization with a knowledgeable team can function effectively whenever a crisis hits, keeping interests secure and the welfare of clients protected.