COVID-19 pandemic and the cyberthreat landscape: Research challenges and opportunities

Heba Saleous; Muhusina Ismail; Saleh H AlDaajeh; Nisha Madathil; Saed Alrabaee; Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo; Nabeel Al-Qirim

doi:10.1016/j.dcan.2022.06.005

COVID-19 pandemic and the cyberthreat landscape: Research challenges and opportunities

Digit Commun Netw. 2023 Feb;9(1):211-222. doi: 10.1016/j.dcan.2022.06.005. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Authors

Heba Saleous¹, Muhusina Ismail¹, Saleh H AlDaajeh¹, Nisha Madathil¹, Saed Alrabaee¹, Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo², Nabeel Al-Qirim³

Affiliations

¹ Information Systems and Security, College of IT, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
² Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
³ College of Technological Innovations (CIT), Zayed University, UAE.

Abstract

Although cyber technologies benefit our society, there are also some related cybersecurity risks. For example, cybercriminals may exploit vulnerabilities in people, processes, and technologies during trying times, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to identify opportunities that target vulnerable individuals, organizations (e.g., medical facilities), and systems. In this paper, we examine the various cyberthreats associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. We also determine the attack vectors and surfaces of cyberthreats. Finally, we will discuss and analyze the insights and suggestions generated by different cyberattacks against individuals, organizations, and systems.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cyberattacks; Mitigation; Potential solutions; Security and privacy.