9 UAE websites targeted during holiday season

The holiday shopping season saw a significant increase of email-based virus attacks, including at least nine against UAE websites, according to FireEye, a network security company.
Of the nine e-mail attacks which took place in the UAE, four were against financial service companies.
"The holidays are traditionally a time when a lot of people travel and organisations undergo a brief period of reduced business activity. Cyber attackers view this as an opening and an opportune moment to strike, believing organisations are being less vigilant," said Ray Kafity, FireEye's VP for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. "Considering that the UAE is a financial hub in the region and that some of the recent attacks were aimed at financial services, the ramifications are great."
The leading culprit was a virus known as Dridex, designed to steal banking credentials and obtain money from the accounts of victims. It is mainly distributed through e-mails containing malicious Word or Excel attachments or web links.
Another form of malware, Farelt, is designed to collect information from web browser caches and "crypocurrency" wallets such as Bitcoin that can be used to buy things online. According to FireEye, its staff noted that cyber criminals attempted to spread Farelt using fakes e-mails from Walmart and American Airlines to dupe victims with promises of gift cards or reservations.
"Complacency on the part of an individual or organisation can lead to disaster, especially at a time when there is a spike in threat activity. However, these threats can be countered by exercising vigilance and having the most effective technologies and information security policies in place," Kafity noted.
"With tech-savvy cyber attackers and the latest generation of email-based threats, one cannot afford to let their guard down at any time."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE