Surge in e-crimes in Dubai

By Sharmila Dhal
Senior Reporter
Gulfnews.com
January 14, 2010

Dubai Most cyber attacks in the UAE last year targeted banks and were perpetrated by electronic criminals from outside the country, a government report has revealed, adding that the number of hacking and defacement incidents quadrupled in 2009 from 2008.

It added that of all the electronic breaches during 2009, "phishing"
comprised the main offence - 62 per cent of which targeted local banks, followed by UAE branches of international banks and other institutions at 19 per cent each.


Emergency plan

The report was presented by Mohammad Geyath, Executive Director, Technology Development Affairs, Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA), at the Crises and Emergency Management Conference in Abu Dhabi which concluded on Wednesday. The report was put together by the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a consultative body that advises TRA.
The total number of cyber-related offences recorded by CERT was 51 in 2009, up from 47 in 2008, while incidents of phishing and defacement had increased to 26 in 2009, from six in 2008.

Meanwhile, the TRA announced at the conference an Emergency Plan for the country's telecom sector. Making the announcement Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, Director-General of TRA, said the plan has been developed in co-operation with the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority
(NCEMA) and in consultation with key stake-holders, telecom operators and service providers.