Analysis of cyber threats related to identity theft in the context of COVID-19 pandemic

Pandemija virusa SARS-CoV-2, uzročnika bolesti COVID-19, krajem 2019. i početkom 2020. godine drastično je utjecala na moderno društvo i načine na koji su se do tad odvijale aktivnosti u svim područjima ljudskog života. S obzirom na to da svakodnevne aktivnosti s ciljem suzbijanja zaraze poprimaju digitalni karakter, pojedinci i organizacije postaju izloženiji prijetnjama iz domene kibernetičkog kriminala. U radu se izlaže teorijska podloga kojom se pojašnjava formiranje pojma digitalnog identiteta, a potom se razlaže terminologija kibernetičkog kriminala i kibernetičke sigurnosti. Daje se detaljan pregled najčešćih prijetnji povezanih s krađom digitalnog identiteta, uz predstavljanje aktualnih pandemijskih trendova i analizu odabranih studija slučaja. Raspravljaju se i trenutačne metode zaštite od krađe digitalnog identiteta i predlažu nova rješenja koja bi uspješnost ovih prijetnji u budućnosti trebala svesti na minimum. Zaključuje se kako je riječ o prijetnjama visoke razine rizika čije aktualne metode suzbijanja nisu dovoljno efikasne, stoga je potrebno formiranje i kontinuirano usavršavanje napredne strategije obrane od povreda digitalnog identiteta.The pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of the COVID-19 disease that appeared at the end of 2019. and the beginning of 2020., drastically affected modern society and altered the ways in which everyday activities were carried out in all areas of human life. Given that with the aim of combating infection, those activities take on a digital character, individuals and organizations become more exposed to threats from the domain of cybercrime. The paper presents the theoretical background through which the formation of the concept of digital identity is clarified, and then the terminology of cybercrime and cyber security is explained. A detailed overview of the most common threats associated with digital identity theft is given, along with a presentation of current pandemic trends and an analysis of selected case studies. Current methods of protection against digital identity theft are also discussed and new solutions are proposed that should minimize the success of these threats in the future. It is concluded that digital identity theft threats are threats of a high level of risk, and that the current defence methods are not efficient enough. The formation and continuous improvement of an advanced defense strategy against breaches of digital identity is necessary