Security
Al Jazeera Media Network Cyberattack
The attackers attempted to penetrate Al Jazeera's websites, platforms, and internal network. The attackers were aiming to "access, disrupt, and control" some of the news platform (Al Jazeera, 2021).
The attackers attacked Al Jazeera through Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, which floods Al Jazeera's servers with so much traffic that it becomes difficult for authorised customers to use their services.
Who was impacted:
Al Jazeera's online platforms being down will disrupt the service or their users and customers.
Journalists and staff are also impacted since their internal network was down, making it hard for them to communicate with each other.
Internal and cybersecurity investigations were conducted to find the source of the attacks.
Qatar Airways Phishing Attack
During the peak holiday season, phishing attacks on Qatar Airways were on the rise since people are on the lookout for holiday getaways. "Whatsapp users have received a message stated that Qatar Airways is giving away free tickets for their anniversary, and the users have to click a link and share it with 15 other people,
How did the attackers break into it:
The attackers created a fake link, which resembles the Qatar Airways website, directing the customers to a malicious website. According to ILoveQatar, "the fake website's URL contains the character 'ą', instead of 'a'" (Chung, 2020).
Who was impacted:
Customers of Qatar Airways with sensitive information such as their passport number, credit card, etc
Qatar Airways company themselves, as they loose trust with their customers and they loose reputation
Internal and cybersecurity investigations were likely conducted to address the phishing attacks. Additionally, Qatar Airways created a section in their website which tells their customers on how to stay safe from them.
Citations
“Al Jazeera Subjected to Cyber-Attacks Attempting to Disrupt Its Platforms | Al Jazeera Media Network.” Al Jazeera Media Network, network.aljazeera.net/en/pressroom/al-jazeera-subjected-cyber-attacks-attempting-disrupt-its-platforms#:~:text=Al%20Jazeera%20Media%20Network%20was,some%20of%20the%20news%20platforms. (Accessed 3 September, 2024).
Top-7 Cybersecurity Breaches in Qatar. www.cyberlands.io/topsecuritybreachesqatar#:~:text=Qatar%20Airways%20is%20a%20national,to%20other%2015%20WhatsApp%20users. (Accessed 3 September, 2024).
“Watch Out for Phishing Scam in Qatar.” ILoveQatar.net, www.iloveqatar.net/news/general/watch-out-of-phishing-scam-in-qatar. (Accessed 3 September, 2024).