TCA

Staying safe during this COVID-19 pandemic means more than wearing a face mask or social isolating. It also means protecting our data, our information and our children as we spend increasing amounts of time online for work, school and play.

In early March, as the pandemic was unfolding, cybersecurity company Proofpoint warned that cybercriminals had begun seizing on coronavirus fears by using online scams to extract internet users’ personal and financial information. Using email, texts or social media, the scammers were claiming to provide coronavirus awareness, sell virus prevention products and/or ask for charitable donations.

Proofpoint told Computer Weekly that the total volume of phishing emails and other security threats related to COVID-19 is “largest coalescing of cyber attack types around a single theme that has been seen in a long time, and possibly ever.”

In addition, as children are spending more time online taking classes and socializing, they are vulnerable to predators and exploitation, warns the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Learn about the protections offered by cable broadband providers, as well as steps you can take to safeguard yourself, your children, your network and your information.