Computer Securiy is needed to protect computer systems and information from unathorized access, theft, or damage.

Two major computer security incidents in Qatar:

Massive data breach of Qatar National Bank in 2016

A large collection of documents from Qatar National Bank (QNB) was leaked and posted online to the whistleblower site Cryptome. The leaked data included a total of 1.4 GBs of data that included internal corporate files and sensitive financial data for QNB's users.

What did attackers break into?

The attackers hacked into the QNB's database to collect data of internal corporate documents and personal information of hundred of thousand users.

How did the attackers break into it?

The attacker started breaking into the database back in July 2015. They used a secret insertion tool to profile the data on the bank's computers, rather than using a different machine.

Who was impacted?

Hundred of thousand QNB's customers, ranging from controversial leaders like Yousuf Abdullah al-Qaradawi to large companies like Al Jazeera to countries' overseas intelligence services like M16 (UK).

How was it investigated?

The investigation remains unclear as QNB refused to comment on that matter on the basis of its policy not to provide comments around social media speculation.

Data Vulnerability of Coronavirus Contact-Tracing App

During the height of COVID-19 pandemic, the Qatari contact-tracing app allowed hackers to steal sensitive data from millions of users.

What did attackers break into?

The hackers broke into the centralized database of the country's interior ministry.

How did the attackers break into it?

There was no additional authentication required to log in except for the national ID. The attacker generated all possible combinations of national IDs and easily retrieved sensitive information of users.

Who was impacted?

Millions of users were impacted since it was a government policy to register to this app with a penalty of 3 years in prison if a user did not download it.

How was it investigated?

The investigation was done by Amnesty Security Lab who initially found this vulnerability. The Qatar authorities acted swifly by fixing the issue the next day.