DUBAI // Despite technological advances in cyber warfare the human element remains the greatest vulnerability, experts said yesterday.
Sophisticated hackers now use "social engineering" - exploiting the psychological vulnerabilities of human users - rather than technological weaknesses in security systems, famous former hacker Kevin Mitnick told a cyber security conference in Dubai.
Mr Mitnick, 49, from Los Angeles, was once the most-wanted cyber criminal in the United States and spent five years in jail in the 1990s for computer fraud. He is now a security consultant.
He said social engineering was a low-risk, low-cost and high-return method used by criminals to retrieve valuable information through manipulation of unsuspecting employees or consumers.
"Social engineering attacks are 99.5 per cent effective as over-reliance on technology and inadequate employee awareness leaves gaps in human firewalls," he said. "There isn't a single security package on the market that can fully prevent social engineering, or a single app that can be downloaded to prevent an employee's ignorance, greed or naivety.
"Social engineers exploit human nature, so companies should explore human-centric solutions such as secretly staging false attacks on their own networks, to evaluate how employees react and teach them effective counter-hacking behaviour."
Dubai, he said, was "a financial centre and a rich region and criminals follow the money. Therefore it's a high-target area".
Other experts called for a unified global stance against cybercrime.
"The men and women in the national security seats around the world do not have the information that is possessed by the hackers because these cybercriminals spend the better part of their day hacking. We need for information to be shared by the security agencies," said Michael Wellington, the chief executive of ZeroDay, a private sector IT security firm.
British Telecom's chief security officer, Tareque Chodhury, said that despite the International Telecommunications Union conference in Dubai last year, nothing had been achieved on that front.
He said that the cyber battlefield had become a reality and cyber experts had stepped up their efforts to fight "an invisible enemy".
"Groups such as Anonymous work independently but for a unified cause they communicate through Irc (internet relay chats) and nine out of ten warnings they put out are followed through," he said.
"An example is the attack in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago," he added
Mr Chodhury referred to the sabotage attack in May against government websites in Saudi Arabia, disabling until the attacks were repelled. An inquiry traced the "coordinated and simultaneous attacks" to hundreds of internet protocol addresses in a number of countries, according to the Saudi interior ministry.
amustafa@thenational.ae
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
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MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
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Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
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Sector: Clothes rental subscription
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
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Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
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Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
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Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
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