  The COVID-19 pandemic was a remarkable unprecedented event which altered the
lives of billions of citizens globally resulting in what became commonly
referred to as the new-normal in terms of societal norms and the way we live
and work. Aside from the extraordinary impact on society and business as a
whole, the pandemic generated a set of unique cyber-crime related circumstances
which also affected society and business. The increased anxiety caused by the
pandemic heightened the likelihood of cyber-attacks succeeding corresponding
with an increase in the number and range of cyber-attacks.
  This paper analyses the COVID-19 pandemic from a cyber-crime perspective and
highlights the range of cyber-attacks experienced globally during the pandemic.
Cyber-attacks are analysed and considered within the context of key global
events to reveal the modus-operandi of cyber-attack campaigns. The analysis
shows how following what appeared to be large gaps between the initial outbreak
of the pandemic in China and the first COVID-19 related cyber-attack, attacks
steadily became much more prevalent to the point that on some days, 3 or 4
unique cyber-attacks were being reported. The analysis proceeds to utilise the
UK as a case study to demonstrate how cyber-criminals leveraged key events and
governmental announcements to carefully craft and design cyber-crime campaigns.
