Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March, cyber-criminals have upped their game considerably, says Dominic Sanfilippo, president and owner of IT services company CMIT Solutions in Jacksonville.

“There’s been a huge increase in the phishing e-mails — acting as if they’re coming from the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” says Sanfilippo.

The use of ransomware will increase significantly in 2020, he predicts. “There’s a lot of anxiety and fear around what’s happening, so folks are less likely to follow the security disciplines they were trained on,” he says.

A rise in the number of employees working from home also poses increased risks. “When we talk about cyber-hygiene, the office is probably the best place, and home is probably the worst place.”

Though there are some solutions for businesses dealing with the work-from-home issue, Sanfilippo says they are not always the simplest or easiest.

“The best advice is really to talk to someone who is knowledgeable about cyber-security,” he says.

Read more in Florida Trend's July issue.
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