Its been a few months since we have been hit by the global pandemic called Cornoa Virus. The news about a temporary ban on the illegal wildlife trade by the Chinese government made me wonder why it was hard for them to declare a permanent ban on the illegal wildlife trade of animals such as peacocks, bats, rats and other wildlife products. Especially when we have been affected previously by diseases such as Ebola and SARS viruses which originated in these illegal markets. Second only to drugs and weapons trade in the black market, this illegal wildlife or exotic pet trade is a billion dollar industry according to the Humane Society of United States. I guess that is what makes it difficult for countries to opt for a permanent ban. It is not just Asian countries who are involved in this controversial trade, other countries also participate in the exotic animal trade for example, Nigeria where illegal pangolin trade is a familiarity.
It is not a rare sight to see people walking around with masks on their faces. Toilet rolls, flushable wipes, paper towels etc have become a rare commodity these days and no matter what time of the day one tries to purchase these items returning home emptyhanded is inevitable. Exploitation and extortion in the name of this epidemic is also occurring in many strange ways with items sold for a high price online which the public is dissuaded from purchasing. It is affecting businesses to such an extent that recession would be just around the corner.
As this epidemic has compelled businesses to move their communication, personal and sensitive business documents and files on to collaborative platforms, new security challenges are arising each day paving the way for organized crime. Hackers and cybercriminals are taking advantage of the sharing of sensitive information and accessing companies’ data through phishing attacks and introduction of malware. Companies efforts to use cost-effective collaborative tools and platforms have attracted hackers and cybercriminals who are making these their target. According to Insider Pro, by hacking into one person’s chat a hacker could gain access to other employees or the company’s confidential data. Corona Virus has not only caused panic among cross sections of the society but also among users of collaborative virtual workspaces.
A Writer's Exposé 