Malware attacks in Egypt jumped 21% y-o-y in 2020, according to the latest statistics released by the Kaspersky Security Network picked up by the local press. The country also recorded an 8% rise in threats targeting cryptocurrency mining, despite these attacks falling 24% globally. However, the country has seen "the largest decline in banking trojans" in the region after attacks fell 16% against a global increase by 29%, Maher Yamout, a senior security researcher in Kaspersky’s global research and analysis team, said. In addition, ransomware infections dropped 27% due to greater awareness, the report added.

Other things we’re keeping an eye on this morning:

• Smartphone sales in Egypt grew 10.6% y-o-y to 11.9 mn units in 2020 as “strong demand” from people working and studying remotely offset consumer purchase power drops during the pandemic, market researcher IDC said in a recent report.
• Egypt is angling for an unspecified amount of funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to conduct feasibility studies on the Damietta Dry Port.
• Lufthansa operated yesterday the first flight from Frankfurt to Hurghada after an almost one-year hiatus, with a weekly flight planned on this route. Polish charter airline Enter Air also operated the first two flights to Sharm El Sheikh since border closures in March 2020.