Cybersecurity Risks and Threats in the Era of Pandemic-Induced Digital Transformation

Abstract

The phenomenal pace of digital transformation occasioned by the prevalent disruptions greatly transformed how organizations operated, communicated, and delivered services within industries. Although it has allowed organizations to remain operational and sustained, the introduction of remote work patterns, cloud computing, and online platforms also predisposed companies to increased cybersecurity threats and novel threats. The given paper explores the qualities and extent of the cybersecurity risks and threats, which facilitated during the pandemic-driven digital transformation, focusing on the increased attack surfaces, human-factor vulnerabilities, and the vulnerabilities in the digital infrastructure. The study is a synthesis of the available literature and reports on the industry to determine the common cyber threats like phishing, ransomware, malware propagation, and data breaches, as well as the systemic problems, including governance, policy implementation, and user awareness. Moreover, the research paper shows that these threats affect key sectors, such as healthcare, finance, education, and social institutions, in a disproportionate way. The studies highlight adaptive cybersecurity frameworks, sound risk management, and ongoing user education, which is the responsiveness of the research through the analysis of mitigation measures and best practices implemented during this time. The results can be used to better understand the restructuring of the cybersecurity environment under the actions of accelerated digital transformation and offer a point of view to build more resilient and secure cyber-ecosystems in future crises-related settings.