Latest news with #High-TechCrimeTrendsReport2025
Gulf Today
19-03-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Report highlights cybersecurity challenges in the Middle East
Sajjad Ahmad, Deputy Business Editor State-sponsored cyber threats, including Advanced Persistent Attacks (APTs) and Hacktivism surged in the Middle East in 2024, with GCC countries emerging as primary targets. These attacks are largely fuelled by geopolitical conflicts, according to a report released by Group-IB, a leading creator of cybersecurity technologies to investigate, prevent, and fight digital crime. Released recently, Group-IB's High-Tech Crime Trends Report 2025 provides a comprehensive analysis on the interconnectivity of cybercrime, and the evolving cyber threat landscape in the Middle East and Africa region. The report offers valuable intelligence on advanced persistent threats, hacktivism, and emerging cyber threats, empowering businesses, cybersecurity professionals, and law enforcement in the Middle East with the insights needed to enhance their cybersecurity strategies. The report said that though APTs in the region saw a 4.27 per cent increase compared to a 58 per cent surge globally, 27.5 per cent of these threats from state-backed espionage groups were actively targeted at GCC countries. Commenting on the release of the report, Ashraf Koheil, Regional Sales Director MEA at Group-IB, said: 'Our report captures the dynamic and complex nature of cyber threats faced by the Middle East today. It shows that cybercrime is not a collection of isolated incidents, but an evolving ecosystem where one attack fuels the next. From sophisticated state-sponsored attacks to rapidly evolving hacktivism and phishing campaigns, the insights presented in this report are essential for organizations seeking to strengthen their cybersecurity defences.' While GCC countries were the most targeted due to their strategic economic and political importance, other significant targets included Egypt (13.2%) and Turkey (9.9%), reflecting their geopolitical roles, while countries like Jordan (7.7%), Iraq (6.6%), as well as Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and Ethiopia also face growing cyber threats. In 2024, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) ranked third globally in hacktivist attacks, accounting for 16.54% of incidents, trailing behind Europe (35.98%) and Asia-Pacific (39.19%). According to the report, the primary industries affected included government and military sectors (22.1%), financial services (10.9%), education (8%), and media and entertainment (5.2%) sectors were also targeted, with attacks aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure and essential services. This uptick is driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions, where cyberattacks are used for ideological expression or political retaliation. The report also shed light on other pressing cybersecurity challenges including the persistent threat of phishing and data breaches across the GCC and the wider MEA region. As the region continues its rapid digital transformation, it has become a prime target for increasingly sophisticated scams targeting the energy, oil and gas industry (24.9%), financial services (20.2%) highlighting the economic motives behind cybercrime. Phishing attacks also remain a major threat, with internet services (32.8%), telecommunications (20.7%), and financial services (18.8%) being the top targeted sectors in the META region. 'We must embrace a collective defence strategy that unites financial institutions, telecommunications providers, and law enforcement agencies. By sharing intelligence, coordinating proactive security measures, and executing joint actions, we can disrupt fraudulent activities before they cause harm. This collaborative approach not only enhances our ability to detect and prevent fraud but also strengthens the resilience of our critical infrastructure, protects our national security,' added Ashraf Koheil. The report highlighted that ransomware attacks remained relatively low in the MEA region, with only 184 incidents (the lowest globally). It also highlights ongoing concerns regarding Initial Access Brokers (IABs) and the broader vulnerabilities they exploit. In 2024, IAB activity was significant in the region, with GCC countries (23.2%) and Turkey (20.5%) emerging as the most targeted jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the figures for compromised hosts—which represent credentials and sensitive data from compromised devices, often sold on the dark web—were highest in Egypt (88,951), followed by Turkey (79,789) and Algeria (49,173) exposing significant cybersecurity gaps. Dark web economy: Stolen credentials and sensitive corporate data sold on the dark web served as critical entry points for ransomware operators, state-sponsored attackers, and other cybercriminals. The report disclosed that over 6.5 billion leaked data entries included email addresses, with nearly 2.5 billion being unique. Additionally, 3.3 billion leaked entries contained phone numbers, with approximately 631 million unique numbers. A staggering 460 million passwords were exposed globally in 2024, with 162 million of them being unique. This surge in exposed data continues to fuel cybercriminal activities within the dark web economy, amplifying the risk to organizations and individuals alike. Dmitry Volkov, CEO of Group-IB emphasizes the company's role in global cybercrime prevention: 'Group-IB played an intensified role in its global fight against cybercrime and contributed to eight major law enforcement operations across 60+ countries, leading to 1,221 cybercriminal arrests and the dismantling of over 207,000 malicious infrastructures. These efforts disrupted large-scale cybercriminal networks, highlighting the critical role of collaboration between private cybersecurity firms and international law enforcement.' The report said threat actors employed advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), including social engineering, ransomware, and credential theft. New techniques such as the Extended Attributes Attack, Facial-Recognition Trojan ( and ClickFix infection chain showcase the evolving sophistication of cyber threats in the region.
Syyaha
14-03-2025
- Business
- Syyaha
Group-IB unveils High-Tech Crime Trends Report 2025 for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa
13 March 2025]: State-sponsored cyber threats, including Advanced Persistent Attacks (APTs) and Hacktivism surged in the Middle East in 2024, with GCC countries emerging as primary targets. These attacks are largely fuelled by geopolitical conflicts, according to a report released by Group-IB, a leading creator of cybersecurity technologies to investigate, prevent, and fight digital today, Group-IB's High-Tech Crime Trends Report 2025 provides a comprehensive analysis on the interconnectivity of cybercrime, and the evolving cyber threat landscape in the Middle East and Africa region. The report offers valuable intelligence on advanced persistent threats, hacktivism, and emerging cyber threats, empowering businesses, cybersecurity professionals, and law enforcement in the Middle East with the insights needed to enhance their cybersecurity report said that though APTs in the region saw a 4.27 per cent increase compared to a 58 per cent surge globally, 27.5 per cent of these threats from state-backed espionage groups were actively targeted at GCC on the release of the report, Ashraf Koheil, Regional Sales Director MEA at Group-IB, said: 'Our report captures the dynamic and complex nature of cyber threats faced by the Middle East today. It shows that cybercrime is not a collection of isolated incidents, but an evolving ecosystem where one attack fuels the next. From sophisticated state-sponsored attacks to rapidly evolving hacktivism and phishing campaigns, the insights presented in this report are essential for organizations seeking to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.' Hacktivist attacks targeting countries and industriesWhile GCC countries were the most targeted due to their strategic economic and political importance, other significant targets included Egypt (13.2%) and Turkey (9.9%), reflecting their geopolitical roles, while countries like Jordan (7.7%), Iraq (6.6%), as well as Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and Ethiopia also face growing cyber 2024, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) ranked third globally in hacktivist attacks, accounting for 16.54% of incidents, trailing behind Europe (35.98%) and Asia-Pacific (39.19%).According to the report, the primary industries affected included government and military sectors (22.1%), financial services (10.9%), education (8%), and media and entertainment (5.2%) sectors were also targeted, with attacks aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure and essential services. This uptick is driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions, where cyberattacks are used for ideological expression or political and data breachesThe report also shed light on other pressing cybersecurity challenges including the persistent threat of phishing and data breaches across the GCC and the wider MEA region. As the region continues its rapid digital transformation, it has become a prime target for increasingly sophisticated scams targeting the energy, oil and gas industry (24.9%), financial services (20.2%) highlighting the economic motives behind cybercrime. Phishing attacks also remain a major threat, with internet services (32.8%), telecommunications (20.7%), and financial services (18.8%) being the top targeted sectors in the META region.'We must embrace a collective defense strategy that unites financial institutions, telecommunications providers, and law enforcement agencies. By sharing intelligence, coordinating proactive security measures, and executing joint actions, we can disrupt fraudulent activities before they cause harm. This collaborative approach not only enhances our ability to detect and prevent fraud but also strengthens the resilience of our critical infrastructure, protects our national security,' added Ashraf report highlighted that ransomware attacks remained relatively low in the MEA region, with only 184 incidents (the lowest globally). It also highlights ongoing concerns regarding Initial Access Brokers (IABs) and the broader vulnerabilities they exploit. In 2024, IAB activity was significant in the region, with GCC countries (23.2%) and Turkey (20.5%) emerging as the most targeted jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the figures for compromised hosts—which represent credentials and sensitive data from compromised devices, often sold on the dark web—were highest in Egypt (88,951), followed by Turkey (79,789) and Algeria (49,173) exposing significant cybersecurity web economy thrives on stolen dataStolen credentials and sensitive corporate data sold on the dark web served as critical entry points for ransomware operators, state-sponsored attackers, and other cybercriminals. The report disclosed that over 6.5 billion leaked data entries included email addresses, with nearly 2.5 billion being unique. Additionally, 3.3 billion leaked entries contained phone numbers, with approximately 631 million unique numbers.A staggering 460 million passwords were exposed globally in 2024, with 162 million of them being unique. This surge in exposed data continues to fuel cybercriminal activities within the dark web economy, amplifying the risk to organizations and individuals Volkov, CEO of Group-IB emphasizes the company's role in global cybercrime prevention: 'Group-IB played an intensified role in its global fight against cybercrime and contributed to eight major law enforcement operations across 60+ countries, leading to 1,221 cybercriminal arrests and the dismantling of over 207,000 malicious infrastructures. These efforts disrupted large-scale cybercriminal networks, highlighting the critical role of collaboration between private cybersecurity firms and international law enforcement.'The report said threat actors employed advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), including social engineering, ransomware, and credential theft. New techniques such as the Extended Attributes Attack, Facial-Recognition Trojan ( and ClickFix infection chain showcase the evolving sophistication of cyber threats in the gain further insight into these findings, the full High-Tech Crime Trends 2025 report is available here. The post Group-IB unveils High-Tech Crime Trends Report 2025 for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa appeared first on سياحة.
Arab News
13-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Group-IB unveils high-tech crime trends report 2025 for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa
State-sponsored cyber threats, including Advanced Persistent Attacks and Hacktivism surged in the Middle East in 2024, with GCC countries emerging as primary targets, according to a report released by Group-IB, a leading creator of cybersecurity technologies to investigate, prevent, and fight digital crime. Group-IB's High-Tech Crime Trends Report 2025 provides a comprehensive analysis on the interconnectivity of cybercrime, and the evolving cyber threat landscape in the Middle East and Africa region. It offers valuable intelligence on advanced persistent threats, hacktivism, and emerging cyber threats, empowering businesses, cybersecurity professionals, and law enforcement in the Middle East with insights to enhance their cybersecurity strategies. The report said that though APTs in the region saw a 4.27 percent increase compared to a 58 percent surge globally, 27.5 percent of these threats from state-backed espionage groups were actively targeted at GCC countries. Ashraf Koheil, regional sales director MEA at Group-IB, said: 'Our report captures the dynamic and complex nature of cyber threats faced by the Middle East today. It shows that cybercrime is not a collection of isolated incidents, but an evolving ecosystem where one attack fuels the next. From sophisticated state-sponsored attacks to rapidly evolving hacktivism and phishing campaigns, the insights presented in this report are essential for organizations seeking to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.' While GCC countries were the most targeted due to their strategic economic and political importance, other significant targets included Egypt (13.2 percent) and Turkey (9.9 percent), reflecting their geopolitical roles, while countries like Jordan (7.7 percent), Iraq (6.6 percent), as well as Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and Ethiopia also face growing cyber threats. In 2024, the MEA ranked third globally in hacktivist attacks, accounting for 16.54 percent of incidents, trailing behind Europe (35.98 percent) and Asia-Pacific (39.19 percent). The primary industries affected included government and military sectors (22.1 percent), financial services (10.9 percent), education (8 percent), and media and entertainment (5.2 percent), with attacks aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure and essential services. This uptick is driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions, where cyberattacks are used for ideological expression or political retaliation. The report also shed light on other pressing cybersecurity challenges including the persistent threat of phishing and data breaches across the GCC and the wider MEA region. As the region continues its rapid digital transformation, it has become a prime target for increasingly sophisticated scams targeting the energy, oil and gas industry (24.9 percent), financial services (20.2 percent) highlighting the economic motives behind cybercrime. Phishing attacks also remain a major threat, with internet services (32.8 percent), telecommunications (20.7 percent), and financial services (18.8 percent) being the top targeted sectors in the META region. 'We must embrace a collective defense strategy that unites financial institutions, telecommunications providers, and law enforcement agencies. By sharing intelligence, coordinating proactive security measures, and executing joint actions, we can disrupt fraudulent activities before they cause harm. This collaborative approach not only enhances our ability to detect and prevent fraud but also strengthens the resilience of our critical infrastructure, protects our national security,' added Ashraf Koheil. The report highlighted that ransomware attacks remained relatively the lowest globally in the MEA region, with only 184 incidents. It also highlights ongoing concerns regarding Initial Access Brokers (IABs) and the broader vulnerabilities they exploit. In 2024, IAB activity was significant in the region, with GCC countries (23.2 percent) and Turkey (20.5 percent) emerging as the most targeted jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the figures for compromised hosts — which represent credentials and sensitive data from compromised devices, often sold on the dark web — were highest in Egypt (88,951), followed by Turkey (79,789) and Algeria (49,173) exposing significant cybersecurity gaps. Stolen credentials and sensitive corporate data sold on the dark web enabled ransomware, state-sponsored attacks, and cybercrimes. Over 6.5 billion leaked data entries included email addresses, with nearly 2.5 billion being unique. Additionally, 3.3 billion leaked entries contained phone numbers, with approximately 631 million unique numbers. A staggering 460 million passwords were exposed globally in 2024, with 162 million of them being unique. This continues to fuel cybercriminal activities within the dark web economy, amplifying the risk to organizations and individuals alike. Dmitry Volkov, CEO of Group-IB, said: 'Group-IB played an intensified role in its global fight against cybercrime and contributed to eight major law enforcement operations across 60+ countries, leading to 1,221 cybercriminal arrests and the dismantling of over 207,000 malicious infrastructures. These efforts disrupted large-scale cybercriminal networks, highlighting the critical role of collaboration between private cybersecurity firms and international law enforcement.' The report said threat actors employed advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures, including social engineering, ransomware, and credential theft. New techniques such as the Extended Attributes Attack, Facial-Recognition Trojan ( and ClickFix infection chain showcase the evolving sophistication of cyber threats in the region. For further insight into these findings, see the full High-Tech Crime Trends 2025 report here.
Khaleej Times
13-03-2025
- Khaleej Times
Gulf countries to consider restricting social media access for teens
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are discussing with technology companies how to monitor and restrict social media usage for teens. "Governments in the GCC are looking to regulate social media access for teenagers. There are discussions now in the region that we need to regulate social media usage for people under 16 or 18. Similar to the ongoing debate in Egypt about the age,' said Ashraf Koheil, regional sales director for Meta, at a conference in Dubai. While speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Group-IB's latest High-Tech Crime Trends Report 2025, Koheil said he would visit Australia to share information related to the topic. He stressed that there are solutions to monitor and restrict teenagers from social media usage with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and other identity management solutions. Many countries have introduced social media restrictions on young people as smartphones become ubiquitous and teenagers spend hours online, surfing social media platforms, which exposes them to cybercriminals. In November 2024, Australia approved a social media ban for children aged under 16. Similarly, France and some US states have passed laws to restrict access for minors without a parent's permission The European Union also forbade technology giants from targeting children with personalised advertisements and asked them to send reminders to teenagers to take breaks and turn off autoplay. China also rolled out its Cybersecurity Law and Minor Protection Law, putting restrictions on what can be shown to kids online and imposes time limits on daily usage of online services. Netherlands has also put a ban on smart devices — mobile phones, smartwatches and tablets — in primary and secondary schools as these gadgets cause 'distractions' and hinder academic performances of students. Public schools in the UAE don't allow students to bring mobile phones to school to protect their safety and privacy. In a directive issued in November last year, the Ministry of Education warned that repeated instances of being caught with phones in school would result in the devices being confiscated for a month. Private schools across the country have either banned the use of phones in school or strongly regulated their use. Some schools allow senior students to carry mobile phones but under strict conditions. School networks typically have filters that block access to social media sites. UAE residents, on average, have more than one social media account. The average daily time spent on social media by people of all age groups is nearly three hours a day, according to Global Media Insights. It said a large percentage of Instagram's 6.67 million users in the UAE are young, especially teenagers. In the GCC, over 50 per cent of the local youth population is under the age of 25. UAE leads The High-Tech Crime Trends Report 2025 revealed that internet services were the most frequently targeted sector for phishing in the Middle East and Africa. Telecommunications and financial services followed closely, with professional services and logistics also facing notable threats amid the region's expanding digital system, said Dmitry Volkov, CEO and co-founder of Group-IB. Craig Jones, former director of cybercrime at Interpol, said the UAE is a regional leader when it comes to cybersecurity. 'The UAE is pretty good in what it is doing. There's a good reporting mechanism in place. There's an online reporting portal now for victims of cybercrime to report that to the police. There's very good cooperation between the government entities as well,' said Jones. 'The UAE is seen as one of the leaders regionally. For example, the UAE is part of the counter-ransomware initiative. The UAE is part of the solution in trying to solve that problem and already recognises that information sharing is important to combat cybercrimes.
