The holy month of Ramadan is a period when Middle East-based companies increase their cybersecurity with extra vigilance and outsourced support due to shortened working hours and increased e-commerce activity. The ninth month of the Muslim calendar is observed around the world and followers take time to reflect and practice fasting. During this month, cybersecurity teams often operate with skeletal staffing.

Ramadan is also a period where Muslim shoppers tend to up their spending on specialty foods, gifts and special offers. This all creates a perfect storm for bad actors to conduct scams and fraudulent activity. Endpoint protection firm Resecurity has observed a significant increase in cyber malevolence during Ramadan. The company estimates that the financial impact of the cyberattacks and scams against the Middle East has reached up to $100 million so far.

Resecurity has noticed a rising trend where cybercriminals pretend to be local shipping companies to deceive internet users. They target victims through SMS, iMessage, and WhatsApp with parcel delivery messages that pressure the victim to pay for their delivery. There is also a notable increase in DDoS, phishing and ransomware attempts during the holy month.

Read More: Cybersecurity Threats Intensify in the Middle East During Ramadan