Americans queuing up to fill gas canisters as a major pipeline was taken down. An entire nation unable to carry out blood tests for health emergencies after Ireland was targeted by hackers. Barely a week goes by without crisis incidents of computer networks penetrated by criminals, and yet the world appears immobilised on tackling the problem.
Ransomware attacks are big business. They are conducted at low cost and for high reward. Companies and countries hand over tens of millions of dollars regularly for the return of their systems. The pressure is all on one side, forcing the victims to pay up.
Policy options are few. When the World Economic Forum issued a policy paper on the issue in the oil and gas industry recently, it urged operators to put cyber resilience at the heart of the business. The 10-point plan in the report was heavy on resilience in the face of the threat, demanded clarity on the firm’s risk appetite, and made clear the importance of internal reporting and accountability.
Read More from Damien McElroy
Policymakers have so far failed to provide an overarching response to stop the ransomware blitz in the first place.
Experts are examining the importance of cryptocurrencies in the transactions. Pressure for a ban or, at least, a new effort to regulate cryptocurrencies is inevitably going to grow. There is a strong logic behind this, but the signs are governments are going to try every other option before honing in on the most effective one.
The scale of digital payments to unlock frozen systems or return access to data is only growing. The US firm CNA Financial revealed last week it paid $40 million to unlock its data from a ransomware variant of Hades, the malware created by the Russian hackers Evil Corp. The clue to the predicament is so often in the name.
Colonial Pipeline confirmed it paid $4.4m to the hackers DarkSide. An analysis of the bitcoin wallet found it had been paid – presumably from all attacks – a total of $17m since March, according to the specialist experts at Elliptic.
The average payment for ransom attacks was $312,493 in 2020, an increase of 171 per cent on the previous year.
The Irish government has been adamant that it is not going to pay the $20m demand. Its healthcare services – from treatments to blood tests – have been down for a week. Patient and staff payroll data was stolen and there is an expectation this will be sold on the dark web. The plight of people unable to access care appears to have forced the hand of the hackers. A decryption key was provided and the government has stressed no payment was made for this. However, these keys are often partial solutions and not all encryption can be unwound in one go.
The insurance industry has started to sound the alarm on the trend. According to Swiss Re chief executive Christian Mumenthaler, there is a lack of appreciation that, while ransom payments can still be seen in the context of $5.5 billion premiums from cyber insurance policies, the overall fraud in the sector is hundreds of billions a year globally.
The French insurer Axa, meanwhile, was hit by a ransomware attack when it said it would no longer pay out on its policies to cover ransoms. Its Thailand and Hong Kong offices were targeted.
What is puzzling is that governments have a well-developed set of policies on piracy, kidnapping and ransom but so far not cyber.
The US State Department has estimated that, while many kidnappings in places such as the Sahel are reported as political, up to 80 per cent are carried out by criminals seeking a financial gain. The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on hackers. For example, 17 individuals and six entities linked to Evil Corp were targeted with penalties in December 2019.
However, there is little consistency in the system. CNA Financial is reported to have shared intelligence about the hack, including the demands and the hackers' identity, with Treasury and FBI agents.
Cyber-currencies make ransoms too easy to store and hold
On the other hand, Colonial Pipeline appears to have frozen out the authorities as it moved to restore its control over its system. There are arguments for victims to face a legal obligation to notify and declare all ransom payments so that the issue no longer resides in the shadows. Counter-arguments have been made that this further penalises the victim.
The dark world of ransom payments could also be targeted through mainstream banks and the international financial system. An extension of the "know your customer" requirement on financial institutions has been effective in reducing payments and donations to terror groups.
Dominic Raab, the British Foreign Secretary, used a keynote speech recently to position capabilities to fight cyber attacks – he put the number of compromised organisations in the US at 30,000 and in the UK at 3,000 – as a key strategic asset in the international system. Fighting the "war of attrition", he warned, is going to take offensive state-level cyber capabilities.
Ultimately, the phenomenon of cyber-currencies cannot be ignored. These make ransoms too easy to store and hold.
There are parallels with the famed system of numbered bank accounts in Switzerland. Eventually, governments got together and decided that bank accounts must bear names, addresses and be subjected to checks. This is another area where the crypto boom needs reining in.
Damien McElroy is the London bureau chief at The National
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SUZUME
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Hales' batting career
Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94
ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
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Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
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West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
THREE
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
