Quote:  As the COVID-19 outbreak threatens to overload the healthcare system and the global economy, it's also having a powerful impact on the security of businesses and individuals.

Quote:The coronavirus is forcing enterprises to rethink the way they do business and dust off policies for security, business continuity, and remote workers. Chances are that some of these efforts will stick.

Quote:The World Health Organization (WHO) has teamed up with tech giants to launch a coronavirus-themed hackathon to develop useful technologies for those impacted by the pandemic. 
 
On Tuesday, the WHO, alongside Microsoft, Facebook, Giphy, Pinterest, Slack, TikTok, Twitter, and WeChat said the global #BuildforCOVID19 hackathon "is an opportunity for developers to build software solutions that drive social impact, with the aim of tackling some of the challenges related to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic."

Quote:U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) this week sent letters to six Internet networking device vendors urging them to ensure that their products remain secure during the COVID-19 social distancing efforts.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many to isolate themselves at home to help stop the virus spread, which resulted in a significant increase in the use of Internet networking devices for remote work, health, and education purposes.

As a result, Sen. Warner has urged Google, Netgear, Belkin, Eero, Asus, and Commscope to help ensure that wireless access points, routers, modems, mesh network systems, and related connectivity products cannot be easily exploited by malicious actors.

With the COVID-19 outbreak still spreading, workplaces, schools, and businesses shut their doors and people are increasingly relying on home networks and personal devices for connectivity, but the lack of proper cybersecurity measures means that these devices become a risk to larger workplace systems, opening the door for compromise.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, Americans will depend on connectivity products to receive telehealth; remain connected with family, colleagues, employers, and friends; and to receive news reports, and guidance from government and public health officials,” wrote Sen. Warner. “During this time, the security of consumer devices and networks will be of heightened importance.”

“I request your attention and diligence to help protect the consumer devices you sell. Both new and older devices in use deserve protection from cybersecurity threats, including timely updates to mitigate vulnerabilities and exposures,” Sen. Warner wrote in the letters.

Quote:The global toll of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is now over one million. Social distancing and keeping oneself clean are unanimously considered to be our best shots at fighting the pandemic for now.
 
To ensure social distancing, governments across the world have limited the movement of people by enforcing strict lockdowns and curfews. Back in February, we saw how the then epidemic disease changed the movement of people in Wuhan. Now, Google has released data on a total of 131 countries detailing the same.

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The company announced today that it will highlight special announcements like school closures, travel restrictions, event cancellation or stay-at-home guidelines from those entities on its search results. There are two ways for websites to be featured in Search: adding structured data to their web pages or submitting COVID-19 announcements in Search Console.

Quote:Apple and Google today announced a partnership to do just that. Your device will use Bluetooth to tell if you've been near someone that's tested positive for COVID-19, and both companies are going to introduce APIs that hook into official apps from public health authorities. You'll also be able to report through these apps if you've tested positive, and that way, people that have been near you can be alerted that they've been in contact with someone that has the virus.
 
The APIs will be available in May, but in the coming months, Bluetooth-based contact tracking will be built into the "underlying platforms", meaning iOS and Android. The firms did say that security and privacy are "central to the design", so you'll still have to opt in for this to work. Your phone isn't going to start tracking you (more than it already does) without your consent.
 
While there are certainly privacy implications to contact tracing, it's also one of the most effective ways to combat the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. It would allow you to know if you've come into contact with someone that has it, but only if that infected individual has opted in as well. Moreover, there might be a parallel between people breaking social distancing rules, and people that choose not to opt into the new service.