The number of cyber attacks targetted at smartphones in the UAE dropped 24.3 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020 and users remained increasingly cautious as they continued to work remotely to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Smartphone users in the country encountered 39,828 attacks in the three months to March 31, nearly 12,779 less than the same period last year, Moscow-based cyber security company Kaspersky said on Sunday.
“It is great to see that UAE smartphone owners remained vigilant during the [Covid-19] crisis and did not fall for scammers’ tricks,” Victor Chebyshev, security expert at Kaspersky, said. The monthly rate remained steady in April and May as people shifted to remote working.
“Every system has a vulnerability, but human factor is often considered the greatest of them … seeing that there is no [comparative] increase in attacks during a shift to work from home and global pandemic is reassuring.”
In April and May, the UAE tackled 28,235 smartphone attacks bringing the total to 68,063 in the first five months of this year, Kaspersky said without providing a comparative figure for the same period last year.
The UAE, the second-biggest Arab economy, is a key market for smartphone manufacturers due to its extensive internet penetration.
A November 2018 YouGov survey found that nine in 10 respondents in the UAE own a smartphone, with 70 per cent of those without a smartphone planning to buy one.
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, experienced 220,000 attacks in the first five months of 2020. Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest economy, witnessed 160,000 attacks during the period.
The UAE was followed by Kuwait and Oman, with 20,000 and 15,000 attacks respectively during the five-month period.
As the influence of mobile platforms surges, the role of smartphones in business processes and day-to-day life is growing rapidly, Kaspersky said.
“Cyber criminals are also paying more attention to how they are distributing malware and increasing their activity in this time of crisis.”
The company cautioned that in order to protect smartphones from cyber attacks, users should install applications only from official app stores, such as Google Play on Android devices and the App Store on iPhones.
Smartphone users should also install system and application updates as soon as possible to automatically patch vulnerabilities and keep devices protected.
Users should block the installation of programmes from unknown sources in their smartphone settings and shouldn't bypass device restrictions as this "might provide cyber criminals with limitless capabilities to carry out their attacks", the firm said.
Gulf countries continue to be attractive to cyber criminals, thanks to their growing digital footprint.
The average cost of data breaches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia was $5.9 million (Dh21.65m) in 2019, a 12.4 per cent year-on-year increase, according to a report by IBM Security. This is second only to the US, which has the highest total average cost per data breach of $8.19m.
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- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
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March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
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March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
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Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The five pillars of Islam
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
