The Coronavirus outbreak has not only gripped the world but has also had a crucial impact on cyberspace. With reports emerging from all parts of the globe about cyberattacks surrounding COVID-19, leaders in cybersecurity have come together to combat cyberattacks particularly targeting the Healthcare sector in the wake of the pandemic—an additional threat level to overburdened hospitals, clinics, and research facilities.
The investment firm, C5 Capital, has created the C5 Alliance of leading cybersecurity firms like ITC Secure, IronNet, Haven Cyber Technologies, Enveil, 4iQ, and Blue Cedar to combat this new threat vector. The alliance is a response to a 150% increase in healthcare cyberattacks in the last two months, such as phishing emails pretending to be from the World Health Organization (WHO), and ransomware.
“Healthcare companies and organizations are facing growing threats, as seen with the NHS attacks in 2017. Now with the COVID-19 crisis, they are facing an unprecedented assault from cyberattacks. This initiative takes immediate action in helping to protect health services in the U.K. and Europe in the best way possible, with the knowledge of some of the world’s best cybersecurity experts,” said Andre Pienaar, Founder, C5 Capital in a release.
As part of the alliance, Collective Cyber Defence for Healthcare initiative has been launched to free access for hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities in the U.K. and Europe, to C5’s IronDome system. The collective crowdsourcing defense product, based on IronNet’s collective defense solution, will be managed by ITC Secure’s SOC in London.
The alliance will help ensure hospitals and clinics protect their internal systems and databases for patients, healthcare workers, and volunteers. The alliance also aims to protect pharmaceutical research and development facilities while developing a vaccine to fight the COVID-19 virus both safely and efficiently.
“With the dramatic spread of COVID-19, a coordinated approach to the crisis is crucial. The cybersecurity industry has a key role to play, and this initiative addresses a growing and immediate issue. We are proud to be joining forces with a host of excellent cybersecurity companies to help tackle this problem within healthcare,” Paddy McGuinness, C5 Strategic Partner and former U.K. Deputy National Security Adviser for Intelligence, Security and Resilience, commented.
