The concerns surrounding cyber security are being aggravated with every passing day during the pandemic. Recently, the U.N. disarmament chief had said that although the Covid-19 pandemic is steering the world toward rapid technological innovation and online collaboration, cybercrime is also on the rise, with a 600 percent increase in malicious emails during the current crisis. In most of the cases, the rapid transition to remote work culture has thrown up severe cyber security challenges. According to a report by Economic Times, CrowdStrike Work Security Index surveyed 4,048 senior decision-makers in India, Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, and the U.S across major industry sectors. 526 Indian decision-makers across small, medium and large business enterprises were surveyed. The survey tried to get a perspective of their attitudes and behaviors towards cyber security during the Covid-19 situation.  

It was found that from February to March alone, there was a 100 fold increase in Covid-19 veneered malicious files. Close to two-thirds (61 percent) of Indian business leaders surveyed believe their business is more prone to a serious cyberattack during the Covid-19 situation as opposed to 45 percent globally. The survey has revealed that a large majority of respondents around the globe are now working remotely, with more than half of them working remotely directly as a result of the pandemic. This, in turn has given rise to the use of personal devices, including laptops and mobile devices, for work purposes, with 60 percent of respondents reporting that they are using personal devices, with countries like Singapore and India even reaching 70 percent or higher in personal device usage.

Under these circumstances, it is impossible not to use personal devices. The survey reveals that almost three fourths (73 percent) of senior business decision-makers surveyed admitted to using personal devices to work from home during the current situation. 9 out of 10 Indian business leaders and decision-makers surveyed believe that the devices they use at home are secure from advanced cyber security threats. It has also been found that 62 percent of Indian businesses surveyed, the highest among all the countries surveyed, have been proactive and have provided additional training to their staff, making them capable of avoiding threats while working from home.