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Cyber Security in the Age of COVID-19

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Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies for Fighting COVID-19 Pandemic: Innovative Approaches

Part of the book series: Studies in Systems, Decision and Control ((SSDC,volume 322))

Abstract

As a containment strategy for the dreaded Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID 19) which is spreading rapidly and causing severe damage to life and economy of nations, places of public gathering like schools, places of religious worship, open physical markets, offices as well as venues for social meetings (such as clubs) are been closed down, to promote social distancing in most nations across the globe. Therefore, most public/private organizations, and even individuals have resorted to the use of diverse Information Technologies (IT) for connecting themselves and other life essentials. Educational, agricultural, religious and even health institutions now deliver their services to users/clients and receive payments via online platforms, students study from home, even employees of most organizations now work remotely (maybe from their homes). Moreover, there is a sharp growth in demand for food deliveries and online grocery. The massive adoption of IT by almost all aspects of human life especially during this epidemic has also led to increased cyber security concerns. Cybercriminals and other individuals with malicious intent now take COVID-19 as an opportunity to perpetrate cybercrimes, especially for monetary gains. Domestic violence seems to be on the rise perhaps due to the lockdown, contact tracing approaches are massively been developed and used, healthcare systems are being attacked with ransom ware and resources such as patient records confidentiality, and integrity are being compromised. Individuals are falling victim to phishing attacks through COVID-19 related content. This paper presents an extensive study of major cyber security concerns that are and could take place during the COVID 19 pandemic as well as strategies for mitigating them.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computing, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria

    Arome J. Gabriel

  2. Faculty of Science, Scientific Research Group in Egypt, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

    Ashraf Darwsih

  3. Faculty of Computers and Artificial Intelligence, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Aboul Ella Hassanien

  4. Scientific Research Group in Egypt (SRGE), Cairo, Egypt

    Ashraf Darwsih & Aboul Ella Hassanien

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  1. Arome J. Gabriel
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  2. Ashraf Darwsih
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Correspondence to Arome J. Gabriel .

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  1. Faculty of Computers and Artificial Intelligence, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Aboul Ella Hassanien

  2. Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

    Ashraf Darwish

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Gabriel, A.J., Darwsih, A., Hassanien, A.E. (2021). Cyber Security in the Age of COVID-19. In: Hassanien, A.E., Darwish, A. (eds) Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies for Fighting COVID-19 Pandemic: Innovative Approaches. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 322. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63307-3_18

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