How Cybersecurity Is Affected By Climate Change

We all know the importance of cybersecurity practices for businesses and the implications that could occur if there aren’t effective cybersecurity practices in place and your business falls victim to cyber criminals. 

Below are Some Issues Being Hacked Will Have On Your Business

• Loss of reputation
  
• Loss of funds
  
• Damaged credit rating
  
• Loss of confidential data
  
• Loss of trust
  
• Losing clients
  
• Log in credentials being stolen
  
• Unauthorized purchases
  
• Personal data being sold on the dark web
  
• Identity fraud
  
  

But How Does Climate Change Affect Cybersecurity?

This article will show how climate change and cyber security intersect.

Just like knowing about cybersecurity as most of us have either heard or experienced phishing or heard of a company being hacked.  We have all heard of climate change and recently we have been experiencing the changes and disruption climate change brings. The changes we have been experiencing recently which we see all over the news are; major heatwaves, wild fires, earthquakes, flooding, storms and hurricanes.

Natural Disasters & Extreme Weather Events

These natural disasters happening in the world right now as we speak, can damage data centres, servers, internet, critical IT systems ect.

businesses might look for alternative suppliers and those supply chains could fall victim to cyber criminals, those cyber criminals will now have access to your sensitive information and credentials so you will be at risk of falling victim also.

New Pandemics

Climate change brings new pandemics.  Just like when Covid-19 struck, business employees began working from home, this became the norm and some still do work from home.  Working from home was a way to keep businesses alive during a pandemic.  However, home networks and personal devices used for work purposes could be insecure.  Cybersecurity practices are crucial during working from home.

Geopolitical Instability

As global warming rises so will the geopolitical instability around the world. Cyber attacks on businesses will become more sophisticated in their approach.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an example of geopolitical instability.  Just before they invaded, they hacked Viasat with the aim to target the Ukraine government and military.  Post invasion, the US government instituted an import ban on Russian oils.  This will result in increased cyber attacks to the US and to the UK.

Social Engineering Tactics

These are attacks related to pandemics as we seen and experienced during Covid-19.  These were text messages that claimed we had been in contact with someone who has the virus and contained a malicious clickable link to order a special test kit for a fee. Theres also been Covid19 scams telling the victim the need to pay a hefty fine to avoid being arrested for leaving the house more than once.  So many people fell victim to this due to the panic factor.  The suspicious links will be harder to spot due to SMS messages having shorter links.


If in doubt, follow these steps:

• Challenge it – could it be fake?
  
• Be wary of SMS senders who try to get you to send money, bank details or passwords
  
• Take a moment to stop and think before taking action
  
• Check official government websites and refer to the ‘contact us’ sections to access information.
  
  
  

How To Mitigate The Vulnerabilities And Risks Of Climate Change Related Cyber-Attacks

Standard cybersecurity practices will mitigate the vulnerabilities and risks of cyber-attacks related to climate change. So if you don’t already have security practices in place for your organisation or business, or not sure if your team are phishing aware and follow the cybersecurity practices you have put in place, have a read at our article which explains in more detail; (click here)

How Businesses Can Collaborate With Others In Their Business In Terms Of Climate Change:

• Know your organisations carbon footprint
  
• Promote remote work and reduce travel
  
• Adopts green tech and renewable energy resources
  
• Promote polices and regulations that support sustainable practices
  
  
  

Need some cybersecurity advice?

If you are needing some help or advice on your business’ cybersecurity practices, call our friendly team at Innovec for a chat.  We are happy to offer advice and give some cybersecurity support and training if required.  Need to test your employees phishing awareness? We can send out a mock phishing email to educate them on the suspicious parts of the email.