Fear of Cyber Attacks Among Gulf Countries

Hacking computer networks, such as the cyber attacks on Saudi Arabia suspected to be orchestrated by Iran, and the leaking of emails in countries that are apparently allies, have heightened fears of state-sponsored cyber attacks among Gulf countries. According to an analytical report by the Associated Press, defense against these threats has now become a major business in Dubai. Dubai, home to some of the tallest buildings in the world, is trying harder than ever to present itself as a 'smart city' where marriage licenses are issued by robots. They are concerned about the occurrence of an attack similar to that which took place in Saudi Arabia in 2012. As a result of cyber attacks and the spread of malware known as 'Shamoon,' nearly all of the computer network of Saudi Arabia's state oil company was destroyed. Tony Cole, a manager at a cybersecurity company in California, says, 'This was the most severe physical attack we have ever witnessed. The attacker's goal was the complete destruction of computer networks. Given that more countries are acquiring such capabilities and that international reputation is not important to them, unfortunately, this type of attack will increase.' Iran is the main source of this concern and was the focus of attention at a conference held by this company on Tuesday, September 12, in Dubai. After the cyber attack by the Stuxnet malware on the computer network controlling Iran's centrifuges in 2011, the country has enhanced its cyber capabilities. It is generally believed that this cyber attack was carried out by the U.S. and Israel. Iran is said to have been responsible for transferring the Stuxnet malware to the computer networks of Saudi Arabia's state oil company and Qatar's gas company in 2012. This malware destroyed the hardware of these networks and displayed an image of the burning American flag on computer screens. As a result of these attacks, Aramco (Saudi Arabia's state oil company) ultimately shut down its computer network and had to destroy over 30,000 computers. The Associated Press adds that a second version of 'Shamoon' attacked the computer networks of Saudi government offices in late 2016, and this time, after destroying the computers, it displayed an image of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian child who drowned while migrating at sea, on computer screens. Again, the finger of blame pointed towards Iran. However, at the regional level, Iran is not the only country with such capabilities. An activist from the United Arab Emirates named Mansour gained fame in August 2016 while working for security forces. He revealed three major vulnerabilities in Apple's mobile operating system that were previously unknown. Mansour and others believe that the UAE targeted him. He was arrested by the police in that country in March this year for content he published online. In a recent case, Qatar claims that hackers in the UAE used an iPhone to hack the website of the Qatari state news agency in April, posting provocative content against the ruling family of the country. Shortly after this incident, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt severed diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar. The UAE denies involvement in this cyber attack. Almost simultaneously, an unknown group published embarrassing emails from the UAE ambassador in Washington, which many believe was a retaliation by Qatar. However, the Qatari government has denied involvement in this act. Yet, excessive focus on government computer networks can divert attention from the greatest possible danger. With an increasing number of household and kitchen devices, such as coffee makers and refrigerators, connected to the internet, persistent hackers can use them to launch the largest cyber attacks from anywhere in the world. The cyber attack on an internet traffic provider named 'Dyn' in October 2016, which disrupted part of the activities of institutions like Twitter, PayPal, and Spotify, used this method. Internet security experts warn that in the future, every kitchen will become a hacker's paradise.