UAE Cyberattacks Surge During Ramadan: Report
The number of cyberattacks in the UAE has seen a significant increase during the holy month of Ramadan, according to a recent study conducted by Qrator Labs, a provider of DDoS attack mitigation services. This worrying trend poses a significant cybersecurity risk to businesses operating in the region.
Qrator Labs’ research indicates that in the first quarter of 2023, the total number of cyberattacks grew by 22 percent as compared to the previous quarter. Furthermore, the study found that searches for cyber defense solutions doubled during Ramadan, indicating heightened concern among businesses.
The study highlighted several sectors that were particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks during this period.
Classifieds accounted for 26.7 percent of the most attacked segments, followed by digital education (13.3 percent), payment systems (11.5 percent), banks (9.3 percent), and game servers (5.2 percent). Qrator Labs predicts that this trend is likely to continue this year.
One notable finding from the research is the increase in bot activity on e-commerce websites during holiday sales periods, including Ramadan.
Bots, which are autonomous virtual programmes that simulate human activity, saw their activity rise by an average of 45 percent during the holy month.
Qrator Labs discovered that bots tend to enter retail sites under a unified client account, register new accounts in bulk for sites offering bonus programs, and manipulate customer details such as delivery addresses.
These bot attacks can distort business metrics, undermine marketing campaigns, and even lead to site slowdowns or unavailability.
Victor Zyamzin, the global head of business development at Qrator Labs, explained that the increase in malicious activity during Ramadan can be attributed to higher consumer spending during this period.
Ramadan boosts UAE, Southeast Asia retail
Last year, the UAE’s overall technical consumer goods market experienced an 8 percent uplift in March and April compared to non-sale periods.
This trend is not unique to the UAE, as other Muslim countries also witnessed significant spikes in retail sales during the Holy Month. For example, in the first two weeks of Ramadan in 2023, Southeast Asia saw a 47 percent increase in retail sales, with Malaysia leading the way with a 40 percent surge, followed by Indonesia (30 percent) and Singapore (16 percent).
With shopping activity increases in the days leading up to Eid al-Fitr cybersecurity measures become even more critical. The tradition of gift-giving during this period attracts increased online transactions, making individuals and businesses more susceptible to cyber threats.
Zyamzin advises businesses to adopt proactive behavioral analyses, utilise security services, and implement predictive algorithms to counter bot attacks.
Additionally, ordinary users are encouraged to enhance their account security by regularly changing passwords, using different passwords for e-commerce websites, enabling two-factor authentication, and monitoring account logins on their devices.
