The UAE is the second-most targeted country for ransomware after Saudi Arabia in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), according to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report Volume 22.
Hussam Sidani, regional manager for Symantec Gulf, told Gulf News that Saudi Arabia is ranked 20th and the UAE is ranked 26th globally for ransomware attacks. Saudi Arabia represents 0.7 per cent and the UAE about 0.5 per cent of all global detections.
“Couple of highlights in 2016 was that email is becoming, and will become, the most used weapon of choice for attackers. Ransomware attacks have grown 36 per cent globally and the preferred source for ransomware is still email while cloud has become the second frontier for attacks,” he said.
However, he said that the UAE has improved its regional and global standings. In the region, the UAE is ranked 10th compared to sixth in 2015. The UAE is ranked 51st globally compared to 41st in 2015 and 49th in 2014.
