UAE assures residents no cyber attacks detected amid outage

The public, however, is urged to be wary of hackers and cybercriminals who may take advantage of the glitch

Published: Fri 19 Jul 2024, 2:16 PM

Updated: Sat 20 Jul 2024, 10:32 AM

By
Web Desk

UAE residents were assured that no hacks or cyber attacks were detected amid the large-scale technical failure on Friday, July 19.

Following the global outages affecting major airlines and banks, derailing television broadcasts, and impacting telecommunications, UAE's Cyber Security Council issued an alert earlier in the day urging users of Crowdstrike software to be wary of any software updates.

"We inform you that there is a technical defect in the Crowdstrike software update that may affect the electronic systems of the institutions that use it," the UAE's Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority said in a post.

The Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) also issued a statement later on Friday, saying that it "acted quickly to avoid any impact on Dubai government services".

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"There are no indications that cyberattacks caused the glitch. DESC urges the public to follow official sources for information on the issue and avoid circulating any rumours," the Dubai Electronic Security Centre said.

Some online services of the UAE Government were also affected by the cyber outage that paralysed major institutions around the world, but the security council reassured residents that there are no indications of hacks or cyber attacks.

The authority urged residents to exercise caution to avoid falling victim to hackers who may exploit this technical flaw cybernetic. Likewise, residents were advised to verify their information from official sources and not to be led by rumours.

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