As states deal with re-opening and in some cases, re-closing, the reality is that for many organizations, remote work will play a significant role in business through 2020 and beyond. And so will increased cybercriminal activity, as demonstrated by a 131 percent increase in viruses and about 600 new phishing attacks a day when the pandemic started.

Initially, we saw a number of phishing attacks directly related to COVID-19 (including ones purporting to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Later, these attacks centered on stimulus packages and unemployment insurance, before evolving to subjects like vaccines and the stock market. Now, attackers are using a variety of relevant subjects –everything from “staycations” to boat rentals and food deliveries. And they aren’t just using email for these attempts – online ads and mobile apps are just a couple of other tactics used.

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