Fears around the potential for cyber security incidents intensified during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic as many businesses were required to rapidly adopt widescale remote working for their employees. Companies were suddenly faced with balancing a need to keep their workforce online while ensuring systems and networks remained secure, particularly where personal, non-corporate devices were used. Video conferencing apps such as ‘Zoom’ experienced a steep increase in usage during lockdown and consequently became a target for hackers. In response, the National Security Cyber Centre issued
guidance for individuals and organisations, warning of cyber criminals exploiting the pandemic for commercial gain through activities such as social engineering methods and phishing emails.