The two security incidents in Qatar I researched were Qatar National Bank's data breach and Qatar News Agency's hacking.
The hacker group, Bozkurt Hackers, attacked Qatar National Bank and leaked a file consisting of customer information such as bank account details and personal information. The file was 1.5 gigabytes, and it was categorized into folders with names like "Al Jazeera" and "Al-Thani." These names suggest that the hacker group leaked information related to the media and the royal family. Additionally, over 100 thousand accounts with passwords and PINs were leaked.
The group Bozkurt Hackers seems to have attacked QNB using an SQL injection, which is a hacking method that places harmful code using web inputs to affect databases. By doing so, the hacker groups affected numerous people by leaking their account numbers and their personal information, and it also affected QNB in terms of their reputation.
Once QNB found strange activity in their systems, they took steps to ensure security of their systems and found that the data leaks contained information from multiple sources, like LinkedIn and Facebook. QNB suggested that the purpose of the leak was not to target customers, but to damage QNB's reputation. After this statement, QNB stated that there was no financial detriment to their customers and they will take numerous precautions to ensure security and privacy and prevent further leaks.
To find more information on the QNB data breach, check out these sources:
MacAlpine, Maggie. "Qatar National Bank Breach Explained: How the Attack Happened and What’s Next." Seceon, Seceon Inc., 21 May 2025, https://seceon.com/qatar-national-bank-breach-explained-how-the-attack-happened-and-whats-next/. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
"Qatar National Bank." Have I Been Pwned, Have I been Pwned, 1 May 2016, https://haveibeenpwned.com/Breach/QatarNationalBank. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
"QNB Group statement data compromise." QNB, QNB, 1 May 2016, https://www.qnb.com/sites/qnb/qnbglobal/en/en1may2016news. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
"SQL Injection." W3Schools, Refsnes Data, https://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_injection.asp. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
On May 24th, 2017, the Qatar News Agency was hacked by an unknown group and false quotes of the Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani were posted on the QNA's Twitter and website. These quotes involved political support of Iran, Hamas, Israel, and also included comments that US President Donald Trump's power may be fleeting.
This attack impacted Qatar as a whole, as this attack was used as the basis of the 2017 Qatar blockade. Nations such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt used these fabricated comments to cut ties with Qatar and suppress the imports Qatar were receiving and made demands, such as closing the media outlet Al Jazeera.
After the QNA hacking and announcement of the false Amir's comments, the Government Communications Office immediately began an investigation into the hacking. The results of said investigations confirmed that the attackers exploited the Qatar News Agency website using highly advanced methods involving VPNs and malware. After this confirmation, the Government Communications Office stated that the hacking was a significant part of a plan to harm Qatar's image and allow the blockade and the demands to occur.
To find more information on the QNA hacking, check out these links:
Ali Houti, Saeid et al. "Qatar News Agency Attack – 24/5 as a Case Study." Research Gate, ResearchGate GmbH, Feb. 2022, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358833764_Qatar_News_Agency_Attack_-_24-5_as_a_Case_Study. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
"Qatar: QNA hacking linked to countries boycotting Doha." Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Media Network, 21 Jun. 2017, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/6/21/qatar-qna-hacking-linked-to-countries-boycotting-doha. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
"Qatar marks one year since QNA hack." Government Communications Office, Government Communications Office, 24 May 2018, https://www.gco.gov.qa/en/media-centre/top-news/qatar-marks-one-year-since-qna-hack/. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
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