In addition to challenging public health and economic systems all over the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment of heightened exposure to cyber threat actors who seek to exploit vulnerable information technology (IT) infrastructure and fallible human behavior. These adversaries target both fearful populations seeking helpful information and security gaps in the rapidly expanding domain of remote work in business and government.
As governments, enterprises, and individuals across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region adapt to new ways of thinking, collaborating, and working, the protection of critical information and infrastructure must be earmarked as an essential priority.
Heightened awareness of attack methods, potential vulnerabilities, threat actor tools, and social engineering tactics can help mitigate cyber risks as the threat landscape continues to rapidly evolve in response to COVID-19. To that end, there are four major attack types that entities and individuals should be especially prepared for: denial-of-service attacks, remote work exploitation, phishing and financial scams, and misinformation campaigns.