The United Nations has warned that cybercrime is rising during the COVID-19 pandemic

News24xx.com - The United Nations disarmament chief has warned that cybercrime is rising during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During an informal council meeting with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Friday, Izumi Nakamitsu, said that the coronavirus crisis is “now moving us towards increased technological innovation and online collaboration,” but she warned that cybercrime is on the rise.

In the briefing, Nakamitsu, the high representative for disarmament affairs, discussed how the pandemic will change threats to cybersecurity and how to address those threats, while highlighting the challenges ahead.

Digital technologies have continuously transformed “our world and our daily lives in all aspects,” she said. However, dependency on such technology also increases vulnerability to attacks on information and communication technology.

It is estimated that one cyberattack takes place every 39 seconds, said Nakamitsu.

But yet, according to the International Telecommunication Union, nearly 90 countries are still only at the early stages of making commitments to cybersecurity.

“It is concerning that we are not as yet collectively equipped to deal with the cyber threats at hand,” she said.

The crisis has forced us to move towards increased technological innovation and online collaboration. It could, in fact, be “key to our recovery in the post-COVID era.”

However, cybercrime is spiking.

There has been an increase of 600% in malicious emails during the pandemic, Nakamitsu noted, adding that there have also been “worrying reports of [cyber] attacks against health care organizations and medical research facilities worldwide.”

While the threat of misusing information and communication technology is urgent, Nakamitsu also highlighted “some good news.” There has been some progress made at the global level in the development of a framework to address cybersecurity threats.

The UN Group of Governmental Experts has agreed that international law does apply to information and communication technologies. The group has also developed 11 voluntary non-binding norms of responsible state behavior in the use of such technology.

Estonia’s Prime Minister Juri Ratas, who organized Friday’s meeting, said the need for “a secure and functioning cyberspace” is more urgent than ever.