![]() As expected, the catastrophic impact of cybercrime on society is also reflected in the hard facts. While these views may sound like overstatements, it nevertheless conveys a sense of urgency that is required to improve cybersecurity across the globe. At an annual shareholders meeting in 2017, legendary businessman Warren Buffet, described cybercrime as “the number one problem with mankind” (Morgan, 2017). ![]() At the 2015 IBM Security Summit, Ginni Rometty, IBM’s chairman, president and CEO, stated that cybercrime is “the greatest threat to every profession, every industry, every company in the world” (Morgan, 2017). Notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime remains one of the greatest threats facing society. For example, a number of employee home networks may contain insecure IoT devices and outdated PCs, and for many organisations, the crucial issue of educating employees about remote work safety has been lacking. Many users are now working outside the normal security protections provided by their employers’ internal computer systems. A number of organisations had to suddenly adopt a teleworking model, thus the priority was to get users ready as expediently as possible, consequently delivering inadequate security safeguards for remote employees. Telework software has become a vital technology for organisations to enable employees to continue to work remotely. The same study found that online visits to tutoring sites grew by 400% in just four weeks, while categories such as politics (320%), TV (210%) and gardening (200%) also saw sharp increases. For example, research in the US shows a 17% increase in Internet use (Muncaster, 2020). Many individuals are getting their reassurances and comfort from social media, video communications and email contact. For many of those individuals practicing social and physical distancing during the lockdown period, there has been a sharp rise in the use of social technologies to maintain and develop deep emotional and social ties. The convergence of digital technology and computing and communication devices has radically transformed the way in which people are socialising and doing business during the pandemic. During the pandemic, computer systems and virtual environments are providing essential communication services, such as local and international news updates, telework, online education, social connectivity, and entertainment. The critical dependency on virtual environments by organisations and individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic is being exploited by cybercriminals. It is hoped that these insights and recommendations for end-users and organisations can contribute to a safer digital world as we cope with many other pressing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.Īs borne out by the headlines cited above, the COVID-19 pandemic has become the dominant theme in the recent upsurge of cybercrime. The analysis reveals interesting patterns about the sheer breadth and diversity of COVID-19 related cybercrime and how these crimes are continually evolving in response to changing situational factors. Content and thematic analysis was conducted on 185 distinct COVID-19 cybercrime scam incident documents, including text, images, and photos, provided by a global online fraud and cybersecurity company tracking COVID-19 related cybercrime. The model extends upon prior work on influence techniques and emotional appeals that cybercriminals employ, by bringing into sharper focus the role of situational factors in COVID-19 related cybercrime attacks. This research develops a multi-level influence model to explore how cybercriminals are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing situational factors, identifying victims, impersonating trusted sources, selecting attack methods, and employing social engineering techniques. The recent severity and frequency of cybercrime has been dominated by a single theme – the COVID-19 pandemic.
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