Connect with us

Security

The Largest Data Breaches In The Middle East

According to an IBM report, the cost of cybersecurity incidents in the Middle East reached a new high of $6.93 million per data breach in 2021.

Published

on

the largest data breaches in the middle east

The Middle East aspires to become the global digital hub, and countries like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are already leading various global rankings of ICT Indicators, including mobile broadband speeds and social media use frequency. However, the growing digitalization of the MENA region has made it an attractive target for cybercriminal activity.

According to an IBM report, which studied 500 breached organizations from across the world, the cost of cybersecurity incidents in the Middle East reached a new high of $6.93 million per data breach in 2021, significantly exceeding the global average cost of $4.24 million per incident.

To help you see behind cybersecurity statistics and understand the reality of data breaches in the Middle East, we’ve put together this list of some of the largest data breaches that have occurred in the region. These breaches have affected various industries and have together resulted in the compromise of millions of sensitive personal and business records.

2021 – Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai Attacked By A Ransomware Group

moorfields eye hospital dubai attacked by a ransomware group

What Happened: The ransomware group AvosLocker attacked Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai in 2021 and successfully downloaded over 60 GB of data that was stored on its servers, including copies of ID cards, accounting documents, call logs, and internal memos. The attackers then encrypted the original information and demanded a ransom, threatening the hospital to leak it if not paid.

How It Happened: After conducting a detailed investigation of the incident, Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai determined that the ransomware that encrypted its data was either sent in an email or distributed via a malicious ad.

Implications: As unfortunate as it is, ransomware attacks on hospitals and other healthcare providers are fairly common. Luckily, this particular attack didn’t paralyze any critical systems whose unavailability would endanger patient’s lives. Still, attacks like this one are a significant concern for healthcare organizations, and keeping them at bay must be a top priority.

2020 – UAE Police Data Listed For Sale On A Web Database Marketplace

uae police data listed for sale on a web database marketplace

What Happened: When researching the darkest corners of the internet in 2020, security firm CloudSek discovered that a data set containing the personal information of 25,000 UAE police officers was up for sale on a darknet market for $500, with multiple samples made available for free to attract buyers.

How It Happened: To this day, it’s not known how the data breach happened. It’s possible that someone with legitimate access to the data was contacted by cybercriminals with an offer they failed to resist. Of course, a cybersecurity vulnerability or phishing are another potential causes.

Implications: Any sale of personal information of police officers and other public servants has serious implications for national security, and it can also undermine public trust in law enforcement agencies and their ability to protect personal data against cybercriminals.

2019 – Dubai-Based Exhibition Firm Hacked And Its Clients Targeted

dubai-based exhibition firm hacked and its clients targeted

What Happened: In 2019, the email server of Cheers Exhibition, a Dubai-based exhibition firm, was hacked. The attacker then used their privileged access to target Cheers Exhibition’s customers, scamming one of them out of $53,000.

How It Happened: We don’t know which exploit or vulnerability the attacker used to infiltrate the email server, but we know that the attacker created highly convincing spoofed emails with wire transfer instructions and fake invoices. The biggest sign of fraud was the use of the “[email protected]” email address instead of “[email protected].”

Implications: Phishing attacks like the one that targeted Cheers Exhibition clients are among the most widespread cyber threats in the world, and they continue to be surprisingly effective because people still don’t pay enough attention to signs of phishing. Additionally, phishing scams are becoming more and more sophisticated, increasingly often taking the form of highly targeted spear-phishing scams.

2018 – Personal Data Of Lebanese Citizens Living Abroad Leaked

personal data of lebanese citizens living abroad leaked

What Happened: During the months leading up to Lebanon’s general elections in May 2018, the personal data of Lebanese citizens living abroad was leaked by Lebanese embassies. The leaked information included the full name of each voter, their dates of birth, addresses, religion, marital status, and more.

How It Happened: This unfortunate data breach happened because embassy officials sent an email message to Lebanese citizens living abroad with a spreadsheet containing the personal information of more than 5,000 people. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the email addresses of those who received the spreadsheet were entered in the Cc field instead of the Bcc field, making them clearly visible.

Implications: It’s estimated that approximately 19 percent of data breaches are caused by human error, and this data breach serves as a great example of how far-reaching consequences can the neglect of fundamental cybersecurity best practices have.

2018 – Ride-Hailing Service Careem Breached And 15 Million Users Exposed

ride-hailing service careem breached and 15 million users exposed

What Happened: Careem is a Dubai-based ride-hailing service that currently operates in around 100 cities across 12 countries. In 2018, the service revealed that the account information of 14 million of its drivers and riders had been exposed.

How It Happened: White-hat hackers and bounty hunters had been finding serious security weaknesses in the Careem app since at least 2016. Apparently, the ride-hailing service kept ignoring them until its drivers and riders paid the price. It then kept quiet about the breach for three months before it finally issued a public announcement.

Implications: The exposure of the personal information of 14 million Careem users, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and trip data, raises concerns about the security practices of the apps we rely on every day, and it also highlights the importance of prompt and transparent communication in the event of a data breach.

2016 – Database With The Personal Data Of 50 Million Turkish Citizens Posted Online

database with the personal data of 50 million turkish citizens posted online

What Happened: An anonymous hacker posted a government database containing the personal data of 50 million Turkish citizens on a torrent site, allowing anyone to download the roughly 1.4 GB compressed file. Included with the database was a message taunting the Turkish government and its approach to cybersecurity.

How It Happened: The anonymous hacker who uploaded the database revealed that poor data protections — namely a hardcoded password — were the main reason why they were able to obtain it in the first place. Hardcoded passwords are sometimes used as a means of authentication by applications and databases, but their use is generally considered to be a bad practice because they can lead to data breaches.

Implications: Governments store more information about their citizens than ever before, so it’s their responsibility to adequately protect it. Any failure to do so could potentially have far-reaching consequences for those in power as well as those who elected them.

2016 – Qatar National Bank (QNB) Breach Exposed Troves Of Customer Data

qatar national bank breach exposed troves of customer data

What Happened: In April 2016, the whistleblower site Cryptome became home to a large collection of documents from Qatar National Bank. The leak comprised more than 15,000 files, including internal corporate documents and sensitive financial data of the bank’s thousands of customers, such as passwords, PINs, and payment card data.

How It Happened: The cause of the Qatar National Bank breach remains unknown. It’s certain, however, that the attacker must have had obtained privileged access to the bank’s internal network otherwise they wouldn’t be able to steal nearly 1 million payment card numbers together with expiration dates, credit limits, cardholder details, and other account information.

Implications: The breach highlighted the need for stronger cybersecurity measures in the financial sector and underscored the importance of maintaining robust security practices to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive financial data. Fortunately, the bank enforced multi-factor authentication, preventing attackers from using the stolen customer data to make unauthorized transactions.

2012 – Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) Compromised By Iran

saudi arabian oil company (aramco) compromised by iran

What Happened: In retaliation against the Al-Saud regime, Iran-backed hacking group called the “Cutting Sword of Justice” wiped data from approximately 35,000 computers belonging to Aramco, a Saudi Arabian public petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran.

How It Happened: The hacking group used malware called Shamoon, which is designed to spread to as many computers on the same network as possible and, ultimately, make them unusable by overwriting the master boot record.

Implications: The attack on Aramco in 2012 demonstrated the potential of nation-states and state-sponsored groups to use cyber warfare to target critical infrastructure and disrupt a nation’s economy. Since then, multiple other attacks on critical infrastructure have occurred, perhaps the most notable of which is the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack of 2021.

Advertisement

📢 Get Exclusive Monthly Articles, Updates & Tech Tips Right In Your Inbox!

JOIN 21K+ SUBSCRIBERS

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Security

Free VPNs: Should You Be Using Them?

Paid VPNs more than justify their cost simply because of how effective and — most importantly — secure they are, especially compared to their free counterparts.

Published

on

free vpns should you be using them

“If something’s free, you are the product”.

Corporations aren’t charities. When they offer you a free service, there’s almost always a catch. This catch usually manifests in the form of data mining, where your online activity is not only tracked but also sold to ad agencies for targeted advertising. They’ve got to make money somehow, right? This isn’t a secret, either. Most people are fully aware that they are being tracked to some extent. That’s the price of free software, after all.

Where this becomes especially concerning is when software that’s used specifically for the express purpose of avoiding tracking itself tracks your activity. And that’s one of the many issues with using free VPNs.

Paid Is Always Better, Right?

While there is no denying that free VPNs are certainly functional, it’s always better to stick with a reputed, well-known, and paid VPN service, especially if you value your privacy. However, it’s also important to remember that just because particular software is paid doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better or even effective on a fundamental level. We can’t stress this point enough: Do your research — read plenty of reviews and use free trials whenever possible to test these services out for yourself.

The Freemium Problem

Free VPNs are plagued by the same problems as most free apps: advertisements, paywalls, and privacy concerns. Most “free” VPNs aren’t completely free, either, usually following a freemium model where the base package features reduced performance, speed, inadequate privacy protections, and a severely limited ability to bypass content restrictions. You’re expected to pay for a subscription to unlock higher performance. At that point, if you are considering paying, why not just opt for a more well-known paid VPN service with a proven track record?

Free Doesn’t Mean Risk-Free

Running a reliable VPN service demands a significant investment of resources. It involves setting up a large global network of VPN servers to ensure seamless service delivery, regardless of the location of the user. These servers must be equipped to handle heavy traffic loads and comply with strict privacy standards while also being able to bypass content restrictions, as several content providers and websites actively detect and block VPN usage.

Free VPNs, lacking a steady revenue stream, often don’t have the resources to maintain and upgrade a vast server network. This results in a subpar user experience — slower speeds, inconsistent connections, and, more concerningly, weaker security. Even worse, free VPN services have been caught leaking private user data. Such service providers may also resort to tracking and selling your data to third-party ad agencies, which defeats the entire purpose of using a VPN in the first place. As we’ve already mentioned, they’ve got to make money somehow, right? So, with these risks in mind, it’s worth asking: Are free VPNs really worth it?

Do Your Due Diligence

As with any software, especially one involving sensitive data like a VPN service, it’s important to do your due diligence before choosing an option. Don’t just install the first free service you find on the app store. Because, despite the many issues with free VPNs, there are still a few decent options out there (such as ProtonVPN, which has a relatively effective and feature-rich free tier). And it’s only when you do your homework that you’ll come across such services. But the point still stands: Paid VPN services are always an improvement over their free counterparts in terms of speed, security, and effectiveness, and we’ll always recommend going paid.

Continue Reading

#Trending