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.
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.
Ireland's health system has been targeted by hackers in two sophisticated ransomware attacks. Reuters.
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
Key facilities
Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), EsekaiaDranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), JaenBotes (Exiles), KristianStinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), EmosiVacanau (Harlequins), NikoVolavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), ThinusSteyn (Exiles)
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The National selections
Al Ain
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
