The impact of cyberattacks forces criminals to use unconventional methods

Returns after cyberattacks force criminals to use unconventional methods to extort money as Internet users become more sophisticated and cybercrime incidents decrease, a new report reveals.

Every month, more than 4,800 websites are compromised each month around the world with a new type of hacking called formjacking, a malicious code added to retailers 'websites in order to steal buyers' credit card information, according to the US company Symantec.

Symantec has discovered that for the first time since 2013, the number of ransomware infections has declined for the first time since 2013, a decrease of 20%. Ransomware is a type of infected software that threatens to publish the victim's data or permanently block access, unless a ransom is paid.

"Globally, one out of every three attacks out of 344 has been blocked in the UAE, posing a serious threat to local businesses and consumers," said Gordon Love, vice president of the emerging region. for Europe, the Middle East and Africa to Symantec.

Consumers have no way of knowing when they visit an infected online retailer without using a complete security solution, leaving their valuable personal and financial information vulnerable, he added.

According to Symantec's report, only 10 credit cards stolen each month on each of the 4,800 compromised websites could yield up to $ 2.2 million each, adding that attack groups are turning more and more in addition to the Internet of Things (IoT) as a key entry point of the overall system.

"With the growing trend towards the convergence of information technology and industrial IoT, the next cyber battleground is operational technology (use of computers to change the physical state of a system), "said Mr. Love.

"A growing number of groups have shown interest in compromising operational systems and industrial control systems to potentially prepare for cyberwar."

The report also reveals that in the UAE, email malware attacks have increased year by year, representing double the global average. In 2019, an e-mail out of 183 in the UAE included an attachment or malicious link, while the global average was of an e-mail over 412 during the same period.

The type of attack also depends on the size of the company. UAE companies with more than 2,500 employees were the most likely to be targeted by malicious software – software designed to damage a computer network – while medium-sized companies (500 to 1,000) would be more likely to be targeted by malicious software – affected by spam – unsolicited messages that are sent in bulk.