UAE Cyber-Attacks Down by 48%

Cyber-attacks hitting the UAE have declined by 48%, according to figures compiled by the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

New figures show there has been a total of 155 attacks in the first four months of 2018, which is significantly less than the 297 attacks during the same period of 2017.

Cybercrime has become a major issue in the transport and logistics sector worldwide, with 2017 witnessing several high-profile attacks.

No attack was bigger than last year’s ‘NotPetya’ attack, which infiltrated shipping liner Maersk’s network and wrought havoc.

Such attacks have acted as a wake-up call to global logistics as they exhibited that anyone could be hit, no matter how big a name you may be.

With the UAE building a reputation for hyper-modern trade capabilities, the news that cyber attacks are falling will come as welcome news to the emirate.

According to the TRA’s statistics, cyber-attacks during the first four months of the current year mainly targeted government and private sector websites.

TRA data exhibits that 85 attacks had a ‘medium impact’, 35 had a ‘low impact’, and 35 had a ‘major impact’.

In response to this, the TRA has listed several risk factors, including the insecurity of Internet Explorer, the smart installer of Cisco, and hidden programmes included in Microsoft updates.

Read more: Thales Launch UAE Cybersecurity Hub