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Global Move to Telecommute Work Increases Security Risks

Salem Solomon

   WASHINGTON - As countries scramble to control the coronavirus pandemic
   with stay-at-home orders, millions of people around the world have
   turned to the internet to work, study and stay informed.

   Monday, global internet volume was up more than 40% since the beginning
   of the year, according to [1]data analyzed by Ookla, a U.S. company
   that measures online trends.

   With workers, students and journalists turning to the internet to
   conduct meetings, attend lectures and file assignments, the potential
   for accounts to be hacked and data to be compromised has also shot up.

   Even before the pandemic, hackers had been increasingly targeting
   members of civil society, including journalists, according to[2]a
   report by Citizen Lab, a research group based in Canada.

   In Africa, governments have used popular platforms to [3]target
   opposition leadersand [4]sway elections. Experts worry attacks will
   continue to spike as communications move online.

   Mark Ostrowski, head of engineering for the U.S. at the Israeli
   cybersecurity company Check Point Software Technologies, told VOA an
   increase in online hacks and scams isn't unexpected.

   Ostrowski's company researches security vulnerabilities and helps
   organizations fix them.

   As services and apps gain popularity, Ostrowski said, so too do the
   risks for users, presenting significant risks to privacy, finances and
   free speech.

   Hacking press freedom

   When journalists become targets, surveillance can interfere with their
   ability to do their jobs.

   "Surveillance is often used as a tool to intimidate journalists or
   activists not to speak," David Kaye, the United Nations' special
   rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of
   opinion and expression, told VOA's English-to-Africa's radio program
   [5]'International Edition' earlier this year.

   "It's often used as a way to blackmail people to avoid government
   criticism," Kaye said, and "it has a very, very serious chilling effect
   on all sorts of speakers."

References

   1. https://www.speedtest.net/insights/blog/tracking-covid-19-impact-global-internet-performance/#asia
   2. https://citizenlab.ca/2019/10/nso-q-cyber-technologies-100-new-abuse-cases/
   3. https://www.voanews.com/africa/uganda-dissidents-adapt-evade-huawei-assisted-government-spying
   4. https://www.voanews.com/africa/cambridge-analytica-played-roles-multiple-african-elections
   5. https://www.voanews.com/episode/international-edition-4151221

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