24/03/2021: Cybersecurity & Tech News Roundup

Over 6,000 cases of Covid-related cyber-crime have been recorded during the pandemic

The past 12 months have definitely been rocky for businesses and individuals alike; and that's clearly evidenced by a recent report that over 6,000 cases of cyber-crime have been logged since the pandemic. This adds up to £34.5 million stolen in Covid19-related scams since March 2020. This could be just the tip of the iceberg though, and as the pandemic continues to cause problems for individuals, the public sector, and businesses, we have no doubt that this number will continue to rise.

Cyber-criminals have no conscience, for them, it's all about making money. Where many would see this pandemic as a global disaster, for hackers it's a brilliant opportunity to take advantage of public panic and make mega-bucks. Not only are vaccine-related phishing scams on the rise, but the NCSC has reported it's having to tackle at least 30 significant cyber-attacks per month. Often, threat actors are utilising the one-two punch of ransomware then a data leak to score a double payday and to create the most damage for their targets.

No organisation is off-limits in this; the NHS, vaccine supply chains, and vaccine producers have all been breached, or are having to defend against regular breach attempts. Read more here.

Amazon has given its delivery drivers a serious ultimatum

Amazon doesn't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to staff's working conditions, but a recent announcement has got critics wondering if things have gone too far. Amazon is well-known for embracing new tech, such as digital sensors to monitor and control its human factory workers' activities in order to optimise efficiency. The ecommerce giant has now taken things to the next level, by installing AI-powered surveillance cameras in delivery vans.

Unsurprisingly, workers didn't love this new development, but Amazon has issued an ultimatum: agree to being monitored or lose your job. So what kind of info is being collected? So far, the machine learning system is tracking the vehicle's speed, location, and any potential traffic violations, as well as the driver's identity and any "risky" driving behaviour. Read more here.

Tesla customers can now buy their car with Bitcoin

Elon Musk's tweets always seem to have a huge impact on the business world, and his latest post was no different. Taking to Twitter to announce "you can now buy a Tesla with Bitcoin," we saw the cryptocurrency rise even further in value.

Musk has been a Bitcoin enthusiast for quite some time now, even though its value tends to vary massively from one day to the next. This value fluctuation would mean Tesla may have to change the Bitcoin price of their cars on a daily basis. Is it worth the effort? Well Tesla has already bought a hefty $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, so it only stands to reason that they'd want to make the currency more common and further invest in its future. Read more here.

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