Cyber-attacks on health systems, the media, civil society, small and medium size businesses, and development and humanitarian programs have significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tech firms have identified COVID-19 as the biggest topic ever used as bait for phishing attacks, with a near 700 percent increase in attacks since the pandemic started.  

Nation states and cybercriminals regularly use times of crisis to launch attacks, taking advantage of associated fear and confusion. Disinformation about the pandemic is prevalent and often includes hyperlinks used to spread malware and facilitate further hacking efforts. For example, in Ukraine violent protests broke out after hackers sought to sow public fear by spreading false information through a spoofed mass email that appeared to be from Ukraine’s health ministry.

The cybersecurity risks emerging during the global pandemic could both undermine response efforts and the long-term resilience and health of the digital ecosystem in developing countries.