Listen: Microsoft’s Mary Jo Schrade on how enterprises should address security in the WFH era

The past few months have seen an unprecedented spike in the number of cyberattacks with hackers utilizing keywords related to Covid-19 and famous companies to lure unsuspecting employees and organizations into becoming victims of their cybercrimes.

Mary Jo Schrade, assistant general counsel, regional lead, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit Asia, who has seen the cybercriminal network and the methods they use change and evolve over the past 20 years, knows a thing or two about the situation at hand.

Phishing attacks with Covid-19 themes had increased by 667% by the end of March alone, according to US cloud security firm Barracuda Networks. The attacks used a myriad of methods from email scams to brand impersonation attacks to blackmailing and business email compromise.

Read: Apple, Netflix most used brands in phishing scams: Check Point

In a conversation with TechCircle, the cyber expert shed light on how companies can steer clear from the prying eyes of hackers and organized cybercrime gangs who want to make the most out of the pandemic where a chunk of the global workforce has been forced to work from home.