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Top 4 Cybersecurity Lessons We’ve Learned from Covid-19

Top 4 Cybersecurity Lessons
We’ve Learned from Covid-19


For many of us, today marks just about four months of quarantine because of the Covid-19 pandemic. If lockdown has afforded us anything, it’s time — and lots of it, especially for learning. Coronavirus has taught us a completely new way of life — a new way of working, a new way of relating to other people and a new way of protecting ourselves, both physically and electronically. Physical safety is paramount, but the safety of our devices and the information we keep on them is important too. Keep reading below for the top cybersecurity lessons we’ve learned from the Covid-19 pandemic:


1. Don’t take the bait.

Phishing has always been a popular technique for cybercriminals, but if anything, it’s become more popular because of the coronavirus. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of people’s fears and using them to steal money and sensitive information. Be on the lookout for Covid-related scams, as they come in many different shapes and sizes — some offer fake jobs, while others claim to be able to get students their CARES Act money faster than the government. Keep your eyes peeled for phishy emails and remember: when in doubt, throw it out!

2. Secure collaboration tools like Zoom.

Collaboration tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams are the new normal now that everyone is working from home. We’ve said it before in another blog post but we’ll say it again — if not set up properly, these tools can have major security gaps. Users should take advantage of built-in security features like waiting rooms, meeting passwords and participant authentication to avoid being Zoom-bombed by trolls. 


3. Use a password manager. 

Managing different passwords for different accounts is easy enough when your computer remembers them for you. But Covid-19 has many people changing the devices they work on, and therefore losing all their saved passwords. To help solve this problem, we recommend using a password manager like Dashlane or LastPass to keep track of all your credentials. They log you in automatically and use complex encryption to keep your passwords out of cybercriminals’ hands. Some relevant password managers include Dashlane, Bitwarden, LastPass, Keepass and many more. Feel free to try them to see how they work for you, or just create strong, unique, memorable, and hard to guess passwords, like a line of lyrics to a favorite song.

4. Personal devices need protection too.

For many of us, the transition to working from home was immediate and without warning. In some cases, this might have meant temporarily having to work on personal devices, which are usually not as well secured as work devices. No matter what you’re working on, it’s essential that all your devices — personal included — are equipped with the necessary security software. antivirus and anti-malware softwares are key.


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This time during the Coronavirus Pandemic can seem scary, but ITS is here to help. For a comprehensive list of resources and answers to all your coronavirus-related questions, click here.


Received a phishy Covid-related email? Report it to security@binghamton.edu. You can keep up with the latest scams on our Information Security page: https://www.binghamton.edu/its/about/organization/information-security.


For more information on the actual virus, visit the University’s official Covid-19 webpage and the CDC’s website.


Experiencing tech problems? Contact the Help Desk at 607-777-6420 or helpdesk@binghamton.edu. You can also check the Self Serve Knowledge Base: https://binghamton.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_view2.