When it comes to cyberattacks, the Middle East is in a unique and potentially vulnerable position. It is a region rich in oil, and its countries are rapidly pursuing large-scale digitization, introducing innovative technologies into government processes and key sectors of the economy. In 2023, it will become one of the most attractive targets for ransomware attackers, scammers, APT groups, and hacktivists. Based on data from open sources and our own statistics, we can conclude that the majority of successful cyberattacks in the Middle East are and will be carried out using social engineering methods, the spread and deployment of malware, and the exploitation of web and software vulnerabilities.
The most significant security threats to countries in the Middle East region in 2023 are:
- Cyberattacks on government organizations. Cybercriminals or APT groups may aim to compromise government systems to obtain confidential data, conduct cyberespionage, disrupt operations, or influence decision-making processes.
- Constant attacks on critical infrastructure. Attacks on critical infrastructure can have the most serious consequences for both the organization itself and the economy or security of the country. To achieve this, attackers may target organizations in the energy, telecommunications, and financial sectors, as well as healthcare or transportation.
- Phishing and social engineering. Attacks based on phishing and social engineering methods will be carried out to gain access to the systems of organizations in all sectors of the economy and individuals.
- Distribution of malware. Attacks using malware (remote access trojans, spyware, ransomware) will remain a serious threat to organizations and individual users.
- Hacktivism. Hacktivists can use website defacement, DDoS-attacks, or malware injection to damage information systems and gain unauthorized access to confidential information. They are also capable of conducting cyberpropaganda and spreading false information in order to influence public opinion.
The increase in the number of criminal groups and, consequently, the number of cyberattacks has increased the need for cybersecurity in organizations in the Middle East. According to the International Data Corporation's forecast, security spending in the Middle Eastern region in 2023 will increase by nearly 8% annually, with the largest share of spending (41%) allocated to software.
The leadership of the Middle Eastern countries fully recognizes the seriousness of cyberthreats and is establishing a regulatory framework to regulate activities in cyberspace:
- Qatar has implemented provisions for organizations in accordance with Law No. 13 of 2016 on Personal Data Privacy Protection to ensure the protection and security of user data.
- Bahrain enacted the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) on August 1, 2019. It was modeled after the European Union, and offenders can face a penalty of up to one year of imprisonment.
- In November 2021, the United Arab Emirates issued Federal Law No. 45 (UAE Data Protection Law), which establishes stricter privacy and data protection standards and defines the rights and duties of all parties concerned in processing of personal data.
Because of the increased activity of cybercriminals and the severity of the consequences of successful cyberattacks, organizations in the Middle East must prioritize cybersecurity. They need to implement tools, services, and practices that can empower their ability to monitor and respond to information security incidents and increase the awareness and vigilance of their employees to prevent cyberattacks. One of the relevant methodologies for addressing core security issues is a comprehensive approach to effective cybersecurity, which aims to establish a continuous and automated system for protecting the entire IT infrastructure, taking into account the specific activities and business processes of the organizations.
To build such a system, organizations need to identify and assess the information assets that require protection, as well as determine the events that could occur as a result of a cyberattack and hinder the achievement of the organization's operational and/or strategic objectives or significantly disrupt their core operations (unacceptable events).
Once the assets and unacceptable events have been identified, measures must be taken to assess the security of systems (cyberexercises, pentests) and actually implement (verify) the unacceptable events.
Based on the assessment of the organization's security, select those protection components that will ensure the three key elements of effective cybersecurity:
A real-time security system should be aware of what is happening with the protected assets and how well the infrastructure elements comply with secure settings.
Implementing SIEM (security information and event management) systems allows security teams to monitor and analyze security events, detect attacks, and assess the compliance of protected infrastructure elements with security requirements.
To detect attacks in industrial systems, SIEM systems can be complemented with specialized products for analyzing the traffic of industrial control systems, allowing you to monitor unauthorized actions and malware activity without negatively impacting production processes.
The system must understand the attacker’s intent in order to respond quickly and effectively to incidents and prevent unacceptable events.
The combination of XDR (extended detection and response) and SIEM solutions makes it possible to detect attacks in the infrastructure and respond to them both manually and automatically. Threat detection and response capabilities can be enhanced by using a sandbox for the statistical and dynamic analysis of threats such as advanced malware. In the case of expert incident investigations, NTA (network traffic analysis) solutions are used for deep traffic analysis and detecting malicious activity. NTA solutions also act as SIEM sensors to display network status information and serve as a tool for proactive threat hunting.
One of the main functions of a security system is keeping a constant inventory of assets and their classification, taking into account unacceptable events for the organization and ways that cyberattacks could develop.
VM (vulnerability management) systems automate the processes of asset management and the detection and fixing of vulnerabilities in infrastructure components, depending on their severity level. VM systems also monitor the level of infrastructure protection against vulnerabilities exploited in real-world attacks.
In case an organization is engaged in the development of software products and web applications, it is necessary to implement and adhere to secure software development processes and use source code analysis tools to identify vulnerabilities and design flaws during the development phase.
Bug bounty platforms can help organizations establish a continuous security analysis process for their services and optimize security costs.
Employees are the main asset of any organization and, at the same time, one of the main vectors for attacks on corporate systems. It's necessary to increase employees' awareness in the field of information security (security awareness) when building reliable company protection. Compliance with digital hygiene rules reduces the likelihood of endpoints being compromised. Users who are aware of current threats will not fall for the tricks of malicious actors and open attachments from suspicious emails or connect unfamiliar devices. Instead, they will report suspicious activity and attack attempts to the security operation center (SOC).
A combination of properly configured information security tools, an experienced team of cybersecurity specialists, and process continuity, all within the framework of an effective approach, enables the maximum automation and centralization of the organization's security management processes, and the achievement of the main goal: protection against unacceptable events.
