Online Survey on Cyberwatching & Privacy in the COVID-19 period

On 22nd July, the Cyberwatching.eu launched an online survey on cybersecurity and privacy (CS&P) in the Covid-19 period. The online survey, which closes on 31st of August 2020, asks for the input of CS&P communities and beyond to understand the change in social interactions and at the same time to understand society’s acceptance of the social good of people giving up some of their privacy. The results will be collected and analysed in the deliverable 3.5 (Risk and recommendations on cybersecurity services) to be submitted on October 2020. This survey can be completed in 10 minutes, your personal details will not be asked for and only the information from the survey will be stored.

The 2020 pandemic created an unprecedented communications and interactions environment where the dependency on digital information and security was of paramount importance. People were forced to work from home without much prior notice. Work/organisational data was migrated from secure systems to personal devices. Meetings went from face-to-face physical events to virtual interactions via web-based video conferencing and teleconferencing software and applications. Families relied on digital means of communication to maintain social ties. The elderly found themselves needing to adapt to such means of communication to keep in contact with loved ones. Citizens may have been asked to share their location and health data via mobile applications in order to safeguard themselves and their community. The combination of these requirements and behaviours led to paradigm shifts which raised weakness and threats which hitherto had not existed. Data privacy became even more sensitive.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to implement a quick transition to a more digitalised workflow. This rapid and, in many cases, involuntary modernisation of small and medium companies obviously carries with it many cybersecurity risks.

A webinar taking place on 23rd July 2020 at 11:00 CEST entitled " Teleworking during Covid-19: Good practices and tips for cybersecurity" featuring European experts in digital security coming from SME associations, cybersecurity clusters and EC-funded projects. This webinar targeted small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the general public that are looking for general telework guidance and cybersecurity best practices.Those interested can watch the webinar recording and download the speakers' presentations here.