A Culture of Trust Threatens Security and Privacy in Qatar

This paper describes experiments in the State of Qatar to test Qataris´ vulnerability to e-mail phishing in reality through two penetration tests. Factors which make Qatari citizens vulnerable to e-mail phishing attacks are identified, such as culture, country-specific factors, interests, beliefs, religion and personal characteristics. It has been found that Qataris put too much trust in technology and their own abilities to detect email phishing, making them an easy target for phishing. The paper identifies the need for an awareness programme to enhance Qataris´ level of awareness of the phishing threat.