Tit-for-tat cyber attacks between Israeli and Arab hackers escalated yesterday, as a shadowy Israeli group released the details of 4,800 Arab credit-card holders and tried to launch attacks on the websites of the UAE Central Bank and the Arab Bank Palestine.
Early yesterday, hackers who said they were Israeli posted the credit card numbers, security codes and expiration dates of the cards, which they said they obtained from the website of a major Saudi bank.
"My name is Omer Cohen from Israel," a post together with the release announced. "I want you come to me house with all your friends and your country."
Hours later, an email sent to The National from a group calling itself IDF-Team said the group intended to shut down the websites of the UAE Central Bank and of the Arab Bank Palestine at noon.
The Central Bank said the website did become inaccessible for about 20 minutes but the problem had been quickly fixed.
The Arab Bank website remained inaccessible for most of the day when accessed in Abu Dhabi.
"They did target the website, but they didn't do any damage," said Bob Thomson, chief manager of information technology projects at the Central Bank, who described the incident as "a concentrated attack".
He said the site was up and running shortly after noon, when Etisalat blocked the hackers' access.
"Denial of service attacks are a fact of life, unfortunately," Mr Thomson said.
The hackers' email message to The National linked to an online warning calling on "terrorists to stop their terrorist acts against Israel and attempts to disrupt the normal course of life in Israel".
The name of the hackers' group, IDF-Team, mimics the acronym for Israel's defence forces, the IDF.
Yesterday's attacks came a day after a group identifying itself as "Gaza's hacking team" succeeded in breaking into the internet site of Israel's Anti-Drug Authority and planted images of armed Palestinian militants and threats including "Death to Israel".
It has not been possible to verify the identity or location of the hacking groups.
This week, hackers broke into the websites of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the Israeli flagship El Al Airlines and at least three banks in attacks some officials said were aimed at hurting the country's economy and security.
The incidents drew national outrage especially because they came days after hackers proclaiming Palestinian sympathies posted on the internet the details of thousands of Israeli credit-card holders and other personal details.
On Wednesday, officials in the UAE had denied that disruptions to the websites of the Abu Dhabi and Saudi stock exchanges this week were linked to attacks planned by the same Israeli hacker group. Other proposed targets, including banks and government agencies, also denied being hacked.
This month a hacker in Saudi Arabia, named OxOmar, posted online thousands of active credit card numbers belonging to Israelis. In response, Israeli hackers posted the personal information, including email and Facebook passwords, of thousands of Saudi residents.
A cyber security expert from Good Harbor Consulting in Abu Dhabi said these kinds of attacks are common, yet can be "extremely destabilising for their targets".
"As the world increasingly takes notice of the UAE as a global marketplace and a player in international affairs, the threat from spoilers and politically driven hackers will naturally increase," the expert said, speaking on condition fo anonymity.
Israeli and Arab hackers are threatening to take further action and appear to be mainly posting their threats on a website called Pastebin, which allows users to store large amounts of data online.
The Israeli hackers who said they had disrupted the UAE Central Bank said in a statement on Pastebin that they plan to bring down the websites of Arab stock exchanges and governments, specifically naming the UAE as a target.
In interviews with the Israeli media, the Israeli hackers have outlined their motivation.
"You can call this a Zionist revenge," the mass-selling newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday quoted the hackers, who spoke on condition their real names not be used, as saying.
Referring to Israel's flourishing high-tech industry, they added: "They declared war on us first, but we are more talented. Israel's top export industry is full of hackers."
The paper also quoted a hacker who calls himself "Hannibal" as threatening to publicise 100,000 email details of citizens of Arab countries on Saturday and thousands more next week.
"That is how everyone will understand how dangerous and lethal the Jewish brain could be," he told the paper.
jthomas@thenational.ae
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
Napoleon
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Manchester United v Young Boys, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.