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UAE Phishing Emails Up 77% Last Quarter, Kaspersky Says

Frequently used tactics included know-your-customer messages, free money offers, unusual email login activity and undelivered parcel warnings.

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uae phishing emails up 77% last quarter kaspersky says
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The United Arab Emirates saw a steep rise in emails containing phishing threats during the 2nd quarter of 2023.

The volume of scam emails increased by 77% compared to previous quarters, according to cyber threat experts Kaspersky, who also noted that illicit tactics were becoming more sophisticated.

The most prevalent phishing scams in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa included emails involving undelivered parcels, know-your-customer messages, unusual email login activity warnings, and free money offers.

Known as social engineering scams, these tactics trick users into taking action by pretending to come from a trusted source. Once someone clicks a link in a phishing email, they will often be vulnerable to threats from malware or ransomware, which can cause significant harm to individuals and enterprises.

In January, the UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority warned consumers to be on alert for scam text messages appearing to come from well-known courier companies, including DHL Express, Emirates Post, and Aramex, as they could be phishing scams.

“Once a cybercriminal understands what motivates an individual’s actions, they try to exploit their lack of knowledge and manipulate their behavior to meet the end goal,” said Kaspersky in its recent report.

Also Read: The Largest Data Breaches In The Middle East

In 2022, many scams involved emails containing fake links to free streaming of things like Netflix’s Stranger Things, The Batman movie, and the FIFA World Cup.

“There is no aspect of our life that cybercriminals cannot exploit. Human behavior and emotion is no exception,” explained Maher Yamout, lead security researcher at Kaspersky.

“These scams are a result of manipulation based on fear, curiosity, and greed. The key takeaway is to pay attention to basic details in emails before responding, even if they are from trusted sources because one wrong click can lead to harsh consequences,” the report also said.

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Joby To Establish All-Electric Air Taxi Ecosystem Across The UAE

The comprehensive agreement with Abu Dhabi’s government includes a training program, infrastructure development, and a manufacturing presence.

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joby to establish all-electric air taxi ecosystem across the uae
Joby Aviation

All-electric aircraft company Joby Aviation has secured three separate agreements with departments of Abu Dhabi’s government that lay the groundwork to develop and scale air taxi services in the Emirate and beyond.

The deal was signed at the recent DRIFTx thought-leadership and exhibition platform and gave Joby exclusive rights to not only operate air taxi services in Dubai but also unlock inter-emirate services between Abu Dhabi.

joby air taxi partnership abu dhabi

Joe Ben Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, said: “Today’s agreement demonstrates the incredible momentum behind the adoption of clean flight across the UAE. We’re looking forward to delivering a fantastic experience for our future customers in Abu Dhabi and we’re excited to be unlocking the potential for zero-emissions flight between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We’re grateful for the support and collaboration of our governmental partners and the entire ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and we remain deeply impressed by their commitment to building out a world-class aviation ecosystem in the Emirate”.

Joby’s all-electric aircraft went on display for the first time in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina at the DRIFTx event. The air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers and can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour (321 km/h). The zero-emission craft is said to have an extremely low acoustic footprint and can travel a maximum of 100 miles (161 km) on a single charge.

Also Read: Lebanese Newspaper Builds AI President To Beat Political Crisis

Once operational, Joby’s air taxi fleet would enable fast, clean travel across the UAE, with journeys between Abu Dhabi to Dubai taking just 30 minutes compared with two hours by car during peak times.

Joby continues to work closely with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to help the Emirates become a world leader in the introduction of air taxis. Additional testing and analysis will be required before inter-emirate travel becomes a reality, but the cutting-edge technology already appears to have great potential.

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