Ukraine continues to face a barrage of cyber attacks from Russia and cyber criminals who support the war, computer security experts have said.
Hackers are allegedly aiming at Ukraine’s infrastructure, private companies and non-profit organisations as part of a hybrid war on the country, which involves online attacks.
Experts at the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (Gisec), which runs until March 23 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, described to The National the different types of digital attacks that Ukraine is facing.
Because of Internet of Things, everything works on the internet… the whole disruption just to the entire banking and healthcare system, no one can go online, then all of a sudden, the country goes down very quickly
Jason Steer,
Recorded Future
“What we are starting to see in Ukraine is really the first step towards a hybrid type of war, where cyber is a key component of what's going on,” said Camille Charaudeau, vice president of product strategy of a French digital risk protection company CybelAngel.
Reports suggest Russia had launched hacking operations against Ukraine even before it invaded the country on February 24, but people working in the cyber security field have said the attacks are intensifying.
“Usually it starts with cyber and then goes deep into more traditional types of war. Ukraine is really an example of what many were anticipating in that area,” said Mr Charaudeau.
A week before the invasion, at least 10 Ukrainian websites stopped working because of distributed denial-of-service attacks, including those of the Defence Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Culture Ministry and Ukraine’s two largest state banks.
Customers at Privatbank and Sberbank reported problems with online payments and banking apps.
And several hours before the invasion, Microsoft had detected a new round of offensive and destructive cyber attacks aimed at Ukraine’s digital infrastructure.
"We remain especially concerned about recent cyber attacks on Ukrainian civilian digital targets, including the financial sector, agriculture sector, emergency response services, humanitarian aid efforts, and energy sector organisations and enterprises," Microsoft said in a blog at the time.
"We have also advised the Ukrainian government about recent cyber efforts to steal a wide range of data, including health, insurance, and transportation-related personally identifiable information (PII), as well as other government data sets."
Russia has also been targeted by cyber attacks since the conflict began. On February 25, online hacking group Anonymous declared on Twitter that it was officially in a cyber war against the Russian government. Multiple Russian government databases have since been erased or replaced with pro-Ukrainian text.
The group's news account also tweeted footage showing that they had hacked into Russian streaming services Wink and Ivi, plus live TV channels Russia 24, Channel One, Moscow 24 to broadcast war footage from Ukraine.
Hackers continued to aim at Ukrainian military institutions, manufacturers and several other Ukrainian government agencies days after the invasion.
Mr Charaudeau said private and non-profit organisations are also being attacked, even global companies with a presence in the country were at risk.
CybelAngel is one of many cybersecurity companies that has been offering intelligence and defensive assistance to Ukrainian companies, including those in the healthcare, finance, oil and gas and retail sectors.
“What we see in Ukraine is that there are a lot of assets that are exposed, which means there may be confidential credentials and mentions of their projects that are exposed and accessible.
“As soon as we detect this, we proactively contact these organisations and let them know how that could be used against them during a type of cyber war.”
He said cyber criminals could prompt competitive espionage by leaking industrial or economic intelligence from a company.
Ransomware is another possibility, where an attacker blocks an organisation from their own data and asks for money in exchange for its return.
Jason Steer, chief information security officer at Recorded Future, an American intelligence company, said that attacking a country’s infrastructure is well-known a strategy in cyber war.
“The types of systems you’d want to compromise would be telecommunications, voice, 4G and 5G internet providers," he said.
“These [voice and internet communication] are the two biggest because they are trying to identify location of systems and devices and that becomes really powerful.
“Because of Internet of Things, everything works on the internet… the whole disruption just to the entire banking and healthcare system, no one can go online, then all of a sudden, the country goes down very quickly.”
After most of Ukraine lost internet access, billionaire Elon Musk opened up his Starlink satellite internet network to the country.
However, the SpaceX founder warned users that the broadband service could be aimed at.
"Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high. Please use with caution," he tweeted.
He also asked users to "turn on Starlink only when needed and place antenna away as far away from people as possible" and "place light camouflage over antenna to avoid visual detection."
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Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
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Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
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Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
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Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
