Last week in Florida, a computer hacker broke into the water system of the city of Oldsmar and tried to poison the supply by pumping in a dangerous amount of the chemical sodium hydroxide in to the water. US authorities are investigating the hack and even though it was averted and no damage done, it is an example of hackers’ growing powers to threaten governments and corporations around the world.
Since the invention of the internet 30 years ago, the rate of digitalisation has become so rapid, and the volume of connected devices so huge, that network security needs to be urgently ramped up to an equal scale so that they are effectively defended against such threats.
The US, once pre-eminent in cybersecurity, has now, under President Joe Biden, made it a priority to restore its global hegemony. Mr Biden has committed $10 billion towards strengthening America’s cyber security capabilities and appointed key people in those roles. Some observers say that his administration is the most cyber-savvy in history.
That Mr Biden is giving the matter such priority is of little surprise, according to Will Dixon, the cybersecurity lead at the World Economic Forum. Last year’s SolarWinds breach, which Mr Dixon says is “arguably the worst cyberattack in US history, given its scale” has recently underscored the risks in a stark manner.
More systemically, however, cybersecurity was the fourth biggest risk facing global policymakers and business leaders, as per a recent Forum report. In the last decade, it has consistently ranked as one of the most important strategic issues, Mr Dixon says.
At Idex, the defence exhibition and conference being held in Abu Dhabi later this month, cybersecurity will be prominent on the agenda.
Hackers are perhaps the modern equivalent of the bank robbers of Depression-era America
In this region, governments and institutions are working hard to ensure readiness in the face of cyber risks. Last month, for example, the Central Bank of the UAE and the UAE Banks Federation conducted a cyber war gaming drill, which showed that the sector’s ability to defend attacks had significantly increased in the last five years.
Hackers are perhaps the modern equivalent of the bank robbers of Depression-era America. In the 1930s, as they looted one town after another, those robbers used the advent of the motor car and a growing network of highways to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Eventually, of course, law enforcement adapted and caught them. This time around we should expect the same, as defence capabilities and tools evolve to get ahead of hackers.
Globally, however, there remain challenges that might slow the response: regulation and strategies that diverge from region to region, the rising costs of cybersecurity, and concerns about robustness of the software, hardware and IT services companies that supply the industry, Mr Dixon says.
A catch-22 situation that we're in is another issue affecting how long it might take to nullify the threat of the hacker
“The world is still, even now, at the beginning of its global cybersecurity journey, while progress has been made in improving cybersecurity across the ecosystem, the increased complexity, pace, scale and interdependence of the global economy on new transformative technologies, presents an ever-changing landscape. These technologies relate to AI, 5G, Quantum computing and digital identity, which will overwhelm many current defences,” he says.
A catch-22 situation that we’re in is another issue affecting how long it might take to nullify the threat of the hacker. We must develop increasingly sophisticated digital tools to counter an enemy that is evolving equally rapidly. That trend feeds on itself. For example, the need to have offensive capabilities in the battlefield proliferates digital tools and strategies.
British security services jammed ISIS drones as part of a major covert cyber operation against the terrorist group, Jeremy Fleming the UK’s surveillance chief told Sky News this week. How long before ISIS works out how to jam British drones in a similar manner, now that they have seen how effective a strategy it can be?
In the digital arena, weapons that give you an edge today could be the same ones used against you by an enemy hacker in the future.
The cyber-arms race goes on, with both sides upping the ante until the level of defence reaches a point where it becomes too time-consuming and expensive for a hacker to even attempt an attack
Maintaining an advantage in cybersecurity – whether by a government or a corporation – requires a continuous evolution and improvement in capabilities. And so, the cyber-arms race goes on, with both sides upping the ante until the level of defence reaches a point where it becomes too time-consuming and expensive for a hacker to even attempt an attack. Much like how the bank robbers of 1930s America were put out of business. This point can be reached in reality, and the blockchain technology behind Bitcoin, for example, which utilises decentralisation and full transparency to create an impossible to hack system, proves this to be the case.
Until then, and because we are ever deepening our reliance on technology, we cannot switch off. We cannot lower our cyber defences even for a second. The hacker, meanwhile, can pick and choose when and where to strike.
Mustafa Alrawi is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
RESULTS
2.30pm Jaguar I-Pace – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt)
1,600m
Winner Namrood, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
(trainer)
3.05pm Land Rover Defender – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
1,400m
Winner Shadzadi, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm Jaguar F-Type – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Tahdeed, Fernando Jara, Nicholas Bachalard
4.15pm New Range Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
4.50pm Land Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Autumn Pride, Bernardo Pinheiro, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm Al Tayer Motor – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 T) 1,000m
Winner Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm Jaguar F-Pace SVR – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Scabbard, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Silkhaus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aahan%20Bhojani%20and%20Ashmin%20Varma%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Property%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247.75%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20VentureSouq%2C%20Nordstar%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20Yuj%20Ventures%20and%20Whiteboard%20Capital%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')
Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')
Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
UAE squad v Australia
Rohan Mustafa (C), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Fahad Nawaz, Amjed Gul, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Muhammad Naveed, Amir Hayat, Ghulam Shabir (WK), Qadeer Ahmed, Tahir Latif, Zahoor Khan
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Mobile phone packages comparison
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
