Sophos released additional findings from its annual “State of Ransomware 2024” survey. According to the report, among organizations surveyed, 97% of those hit by ransomware over the past year engaged with law enforcement and/or official government bodies for help with the attack.
In addition, more than half (59%) of those organizations that did engage with law enforcement found the process easy or somewhat easy. Only 10% of those surveyed said the process was very difficult.
Based on the survey, impacted organizations reached out to law enforcement and/or official government bodies for a range of assistance with ransomware attacks. Sixty-one percent reported they had received advice on dealing with ransomware, while 60% received help investigating the attack. Fifty-eight percent of those that had their data encrypted received help from law enforcement to recover their data from the ransomware attack.
“Companies have traditionally shied away from engaging with law enforcement for fear of their attack becoming public. If they are known to have been victimized it could impact their business reputation and make a bad situation worse. Victim shaming has long been a consequence of an attack, but we’ve made progress on that front, both within the security community and at the government level. New regulations on cyber incident reporting, for example, appear to have normalized engaging with law enforcement, and this survey data shows organizations are taking steps in the right direction,” said Chester Wisniewski, director, Field CTO, Sophos.”
Recent in-the-field findings from Sophos X-Ops’ Active Adversary report highlighted the continued threat of ransomware to small-and-medium sized businesses. Data from more than 150 incident response (IR) cases in 2023 found that ransomware was, for the fourth year running, the most frequently encountered attack type, occurring in 70% of IR cases Sophos X-Ops investigated.
NetApp’s latest report, sponsored by IDC, explores the AI landscape in enterprises. Titled “Scaling AI Initiatives Responsibly: The Critical Role of an Intelligent Data Infrastructure,” the report discusses challenges, benefits, and successful strategies at different AI maturity levels. It aims to help organizations scale AI and GenAI workloads responsibly, avoiding common pitfalls and ensuring the success of their AI initiatives.
Intelligent Data Infrastructure is the Foundation of AI Success
The IDC White Paper found that:
AI Masters optimize their data infrastructure for transformational AI initiatives by facilitating easy access to corporate datasets with minimal preparation and designing a unified, hybrid, multicloud environment that supports various data types and access methods.
AI Masters have more ambitious AI goals and yet experience data-related failures including infrastructure-based data access limitations (21%), compliance limitations (16%), and insufficient data (17%).
AI Emergents note similar challenges but also experience budget constraints (20% Emergents vs 9% AI Masters), insufficient data for model training (26% vs 17%) and business restrictions on data access (28% vs 20%).
According to the findings, organizations need an intelligent data infrastructure in order to scale AI initiatives responsibly. Where a company falls on the AI maturity scale is determined by the level of infrastructure they have in place that will not only drive the long-term success of AI projects, but also of their associated business outcomes. Those organizations that are just beginning or have recently begun their AI journey typically have disparate data architectures or plans for a more unified architecture, while AI Leaders and AI Masters are likely already executing on a unified vision. As a result, organizations with the most AI experience are failing less.
Jonsi Stefansson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at NetApp, said, “With intelligent data infrastructure in place, companies have the flexibility to access any data, anywhere with integrated data management to ensure data security, protection, and governance and adaptive operations that can optimize performance, cost and sustainability.”
Data Infrastructure Flexibility is Crucial for Data Access and AI Initiative Success
The IDC White Paper found that:
48% of AI Masters report they have instant availability of their structured data and 43% of their unstructured data, while AI Emergents have only 26% and 20%
AI Masters (65%) and AI Emergents (35%) reported their current data architectures can seamlessly integrate their organization’s private data with AI Cloud services.
According to the research, AI Masters know that their data architecture and infrastructure for transformational AI initiatives must offer ease of access to corporate data sets without any—or with only minor—preparation or preprocessing.
Ritu Jyoti Group Vice President, Worldwide Artificial Intelligence and Automation Research Practice, Global AI Research Lead, at IDC, said, “The dynamic nature of data inputs to AI and GenAI workstreams means easy access to distributed and diverse data—both structured and unstructured data sets with varying characteristics—is critical.”
Huawei has unveiled a series of exciting new products at its Innovative Product Launch event on May 7th. The global launch event, held at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai, saw the presence of high-ranking officials, journalists, and popular social media figures from across the globe. The new products include the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 3, HUAWEI MateBook X Pro and HUAWEI MateBook 14, powered by the latest Intel Ultra Series processors, HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i, and HUAWEI MatePad 11.5”S. Huawei also unveiled new colour editions of its popular wearable products.
This product launch was of great significance for the brand as it is Huawei’s first international event of this scale in recent years, featuring simultaneous launches of multiple innovative hardware products across markets. The company also unveiled self-developed software called the GoPaint app. Huawei is holding another event in Dubai on the day immediately following the product launch event. Titled ‘A Heartwarming World—12 Years of Huawei Photography’, this event will celebrate Huawei’s contribution to the world of mobile photography.
HUAWEI WATCH FIT 3
HUAWEI WATCH FIT 3
Huawei’s latest addition to its smartwatch lineup, the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 3, is a sleek and fashionable wearable that boasts an ultra-thin body, a modern square-faced design, and an expansive 1.82-inch screen. This new smartwatch promises to revolutionise the way you monitor health, stay connected, and express your personal style. The watch has a remarkably thin body measuring 9.9mm and weighing only 26g (watch body only), making it comfortable to wear all day long.
The WATCH FIT 3 is also equipped with a range of advanced health and fitness monitoring features, including the new HUAWEI TruSleep™ 4.0 science-based sleep tracker and the upgraded HUAWEI TruSeen™ 5.5 health monitoring, which ensures precise heart rate readings and efficient analysis of workout performance and daily health.
HUAWEI WATCH FIT 3 is available in the UAE on May 7, at a price starting from 529 AED from Huawei’s online platforms as well as certified retailers.
HUAWEI MateBook X Pro
The new HUAWEI MateBook X Pro is an ultralight powerhouse, weighing in at just 980 grams and packing class leading performance, representing a leap forward in ultra-lightweight design and performance. The laptop body is built from magnesium alloy with a skin-soothing finish that makes it highly scratch and smudge resistant and powered by the latest generation Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 High-Performance processor.
HUAWEI MateBook X Pro
It boasts a stunning 14.2-inch flexible OLED display with a 3.1K resolution, offering an immersive visual experience with breathtaking clarity and vibrancy. With a generous 70 Wh battery and 90W SuperCharge Turbo mode, you can work for a full two hours after just a 10-minute charge. And thanks to the advanced 3D Metaline Antenna technology, you’ll enjoy fast and stable Wi-Fi connections up to an impressive 330 meters.
The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro will be available for pre order in the UAE from May 24, starting at AED 6999.
HUAWEI MateBook 14
HUAWEI MateBook 14
The HUAWEI MateBook 14 is a next-gen smart PC featuring a flagship-level 2.8K OLED touchscreen, light and thin body, and fashionable design and comes in a new and distinctive green. This stunning display offers a high resolution, wide colour gamut, high brightness, and robust eye protection. The MateBook 14 inherits the exquisite design and craftsmanship of previous MateBook models. The aluminum alloy body is built to withstand the hazards of daily life while remaining incredibly portable, weighing just 1.31 kg and measuring only 14.5 mm thick. The MateBook 14 is capable of powerful performance thanks to a 1st Gen Intel® Core™ Ultra processor and a dual Shark fin fan system that efficiently dissipates heat. On a full charge, the MateBook 14 can support up to 19 hours of 1080p video playback, providing genuine all-day use.
The HUAWEI MateBook 14 will be available for pre order in the UAE from May 24.
HUAWEI MatePad 11.5″S
HUAWEI MatePad 11.5″S
The HUAWEI MatePad 11.5″S redefines tablet displays with its innovative new generation PaperMatte Display. This remarkable 11.5-inch HD FullView Display boasts an 87% screen-to-body ratio, stunning 2800 x 1840 resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate, and wide P3 color gamut for exceptional visual quality. It’s the industry leader in simulating a paper-like feel for reading and writing, with built-in eye protection. The PaperMatte Display is meticulously crafted using a multi-layer nanoscale process. It minimizes glare, emits soft, eye-friendly light, and reduces screen reflectivity to just 2%. The MatePad 11.5″S works perfectly with the HUAWEI M-Pencil (3rd generation) and HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard, both featuring NearLink technology. HUAWEI MatePad 11.5”S will be available in UAE in June at a price of AED1499 from Huawei’s online platforms as well as certified retailers.
GoPaint: Huawei’s Very Own Painting App
Huawei also released its self-developed GoPaint app at the event. It features over 100 different virtual brushes and realistic textures, giving users realistic and natural canvases to paint on. GoPaint supports a large number of layers, low latency, and a high frame rate for instant response to brush strokes delivering an authentic creative experience. The GoPaint will have a complete set of tutorials to help users master the tools within the app.
HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i
HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i
HUAWEI FreeBuds 6i feature advanced Intelligent dynamic ANC 3.0 for seamless noise cancellation. Real-time model building and an advanced algorithm seamlessly optimise the ANC for 34 different scenarios. The earbuds feature a 11mm ultra-magnetic driver, designed to deliver exhilarating, punchy bass with thunderous lows reaching down to 14Hz. They support the LDAC HD audio codec and has earned the Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification. With ANC off, you get up to 35 hours of playback with the charging case, and 8 hours on each earbud. Even with ANC on, you can enjoy 20 hours of total playback with the case and 5 hours on each earbud.
HUAWEI WATCH 4 Pro Space Edition
HUAWEI WATCH 4 Pro Space Edition
The HUAWEI WATCH 4 Pro Space Edition was inspired by the de Laval nozzles of rocket engines, which help accelerate rockets to supersonic speeds, thereby propelling them into space. Huawei integrated Aerospace-Grade DLC Titanium and a dual-colour red and black Nanocrystalline Ceramic Bezel into the new watch’s design. A conceptual crown and the exclusive LAVAL watch face complete the look of the HUAWEI WATCH 4 Pro Space Edition.
Moreover, the watch has been upgraded to support Health Glance 2.0, which includes enhanced smart health features. Equipped with HUAWEI TruSeen™5.5+, users can now gain access to more accurate heart rate and blood oxygen readings.
HUAWEI FreeClip
HUAWEI FreeClip
The HUAWEI FreeClip, initially launched in Purple and Black colours, is now also available in all-new Beige. This Beige version introduces a neutral sand-toned look to the FreeClip line. Crafted with a silky material that glides effortlessly across your skin, the Beige version is easy on the eyes and smooth to the touch. Huawei has also added a new swipe gesture control to the FreeClip that lets users swipe up or down along the C-Bridge to effortlessly adjust the music’s volume.
HUAWEI Care+ protects your device with multiple services, including Accidental Damage Protection, so you can put your mind at ease. For smartphones, PCs, and tablets, Huawei provides battery replacement services as well. Please stay tuned for more service activities, such as HUAWEI Service Carnival and HUAWEI Service Day.
Ring, a home security brand, introduces five new features for the Ring Protect Plus subscription: Live View Picture-in-Picture, Multi-Cam Live View, Snapshot Capture Plus, Priority Alerts, and Event Summary. These features enhance customer experience with their doorbell or camera, providing added convenience and peace of mind.
New advanced video features like Live View Picture-in-Picture, Multi-Cam Live View, and Snapshot Capture Plus enable users to activate, view, delete, and download snapshots, as well as adjust snapshot frequency. Enhanced Notifications allow customization to keep up with home activities, and Priority Alerts provide notifications even when the mobile device is in Do Not Disturb mode. The Event Summary feature offers a daily digest of all events and recordings at the location.
Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President – Emerging Markets at Ring, said, “We are seeing more households turn to Ring for the peace of mind that comes from knowing their homes are secure. We’re giving our customers tools they need to build a home security system exactly the way they need it.”
Ring Protect Plus covers an unlimited number of Ring Video Doorbells and Cameras at a single location. However, Ring also offers a Ring Protect Basic plan that covers one Ring Video Doorbell or Security Camera at a single location. With both Basic and Plus subscription plans, customers can also save, share, and download video recordings of any detected events in their account for up to 180 days.
Shein is one of the most popular shopping apps in the world. In fact, it’s the second most downloaded shopping app globally, with over 251 million downloads.
The e-commerce platform is Googled more frequently than major brands like Nike and adidas.
Shein gained popularity for its inexpensive clothing and low prices. However, the company has faced significant criticism for its poor human rights record.
Additionally, according to a TIME report, Shein has been exploited by scammers in various ways, including the use of fake gift cards on Instagram and counterfeit websites.
That brings us to the focus of today’s report. Researchers from Harmony Email will discuss how hackers are impersonating Shein in an effort to steal user credentials. Over the last month, they have identified more than 1,000 of these fraudulent emails.
Email Example
The email arrives with a tempting subject line: “Order Verification SHEIN” – claiming to be from Shein customer service. But a closer look reveals a red flag – the sender’s email address doesn’t match Shein’s official one.
The email excitedly announces you’ve received a mystery box from Shein. However, the included link won’t bring you a surprise gift; it leads to a fake website designed to steal your personal information (a credential harvesting site).
This phishing attempt is quite transparent. It preys on your excitement by claiming you’ve won a prize and uses the trusted brand name “Shein” to gain your trust. However, a vigilant user can easily spot the scam: check the sender’s email address (it shouldn’t be random letters) and verify that any links lead to legitimate Shein webpages.
Techniques
Just like other phishing attempts, scammers are trying to capitalize on popular brands and current trends to trick you. This time, they’re using Shein.
There are several red flags that this email isn’t legitimate. First, there’s a strong sense of urgency surrounding the “mystery box” offer, which is designed to create excitement and pressure you into clicking.
Another clue? The email address itself is a jumble of random letters, not a recognizable Shein address. You won’t find any Shein branding or logos in the email either. Finally, the link in the email won’t take you to an official Shein webpage, but to a fraudulent website designed to steal your information.
Barracuda Networks, a top cloud security provider, has released the CIO report “Leading your business through cyber risk.” It delves into governance challenges in managing cyber risk and enhancing resilience, offering tools like a checklist template developed with Barracuda’s IT and security leaders to guide companies.
Leveraging data from the international Cybernomics 101 study, the report assesses how challenges relating to security policies, management support, third-party access, and supply chains can undermine a company’s ability to withstand and respond to cyberattacks.
Among other things, the findings show that many organisations find it hard to implement company-wide security policies such as authentication measures and access controls. Half (49%) of the smaller to mid-sized companies surveyed listed this as one of their top two governance challenges. Further, just over a third (35%) of the smaller companies worry that senior management doesn’t see cyberattacks as a significant risk, while the larger companies are most likely to struggle with a lack of budget (38%) and skilled professionals (35%).
Many organisations have concerns about a lack of security and control over the supply chain and visibility into third parties with access to sensitive or confidential data. Around one in 10 doesn’t have an incident response plan to turn to in the event of a successful breach.
“For many businesses today, a security incident of some kind is almost inevitable,” said Siroui Mushegian, CIO of Barracuda Networks. “What matters is how you prepare for, withstand, respond to, and recover from the incident. This is cyber resilience. Advanced, defense-in-depth security solutions will take you most of the way there, but success also depends on security governance — the policies and programs, leadership, and more that enable you to manage risk. When NIST updated its benchmark cybersecurity framework earlier this year, it added security governance as a strategic priority.”
Amazon.ae launched its regional “It’s on Amazon Prime” campaign, tailored for the UAE by Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East (ME). The campaign showcases the benefits of an Amazon Prime membership, such as Free and Fast delivery, Free International Shipping, Amazon Fresh, and Prime Video, through three new spots and various digital and social executions.
The regional campaign videos were conceptualized by Saatchi & Saatchi ME and designed with customer-first, local insights in mind. The “It’s on Amazon Prime” campaign adopts a storytelling formula, portraying a diverse range of customers facing everyday challenges, in order to illustrate how Prime seamlessly integrates into their lives to fulfil their needs.
The first film, features a young woman moving out of her parents’ home and setting up her own space for the first time. While her mother finds a simple and meaningful way to reach out as she misses her daughter’s presence at home, the young woman also discovers her passion for cooking with Amazon Fresh sourced ingredients – making her mother proud with a homecooked surprise.
In the second film, we witness the day-to-day life of a couple with challenging schedules and watch them find small ways to connect, comfort each other, and spend quality time together. We see their kindness and willingness to make room for one another flourish, as they use Amazon Prime fast delivery to buy items to help ease each other’s mornings, share intimate homecooked dinners, and enjoy couch time spent watching their favourite shows on Prime Video.
The third film, illustrates the life of a new family of three. With the help of fast and free shipping across a selection of items, they find simple ways to care for their newborn while bringing their eldest son into the fold, helping him connect with his new brother. Some baby monitoring equipment, and a few toys later, family bonds are getting stronger.
You could say: whatever you need, it’s on Amazon Prime. From Same Day and Next-Day Delivery to Free International Shipping, Prime Video, and Amazon Fresh, the campaign videos aim to improve benefit awareness, highlighting how Prime brings members closer to what matters most, redefining value, convenience, and delight.
Moemen Elhamalawy, Head of Marketing, Amazon Middle East and North Africa, said, “We are incredibly proud to share this regional instalment of the campaign with our customers in the UAE. The Amazon Prime membership is truly the best way for customers to enjoy Amazon. We have significantly improved the value customers get from Prime, by launching Amazon Fresh and Deliveroo benefits, improving speed through Same Day delivery and expanding Free delivery selection.”
A report released today by ServiceNow the leading digital workflow company, reveals that nearly every UAE consumer will abandon a brand after just one negative experience.
The new global survey of 18,000 consumers across 13 countries (including 1,000 in the UAE) also found the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country’s shoppers to be the least loyal to brands. Some 85% of UAE consumers — 11 percentage points higher than the global average — said they are less loyal to brands than they were two years ago.
ServiceNow’s study on loyalty factors in the UAE revealed that cost is the primary driver, as 40% of consumers are inclined to switch brands for cheaper alternatives. Additionally, 73% reported increased spending compared to last year, with 54% attributing this to rising costs. When asked about their priorities for brands in the next year, 42% of respondents prioritized price reductions.
Another driver of declining brand loyalty is that UAE consumers place a high premium on customer service. 91% said they were likely to switch brands following a poor customer experience and 23% of UAE consumers said they are less loyal to brands than they were 2 years ago because they have had disappointing experiences with companies.
“Brands in the UAE need to be at the top of their game,” Ali Kaddoura, Country Manager – UAE at ServiceNow said. “And while cost is important, brands must pay attention to other aspects that can set them apart from competitors who are just a click or swipe away from the modern consumer. Service must include exceptional streamlined experiences, both human and automated, at every touchpoint along the customer journey.”
The research also uncovered some very interesting insights as it relates to the role of AI in customer service. While most companies are racing to invest in more automated channels like chatbots, 77% of UAE consumers said they wouldn’t engage with a brand using AI, for at least some services, with 32% citing the lack of personalization and 20% saying they don’t trust the answer they will get.
The findings also showed a preference for human-to-human interaction among UAE consumers. 58% said they’d like to see all brands offer full 24/7 customer service and 52% said they’d like to see a return to human-based customer service to minimize automated routes, in the next year.
SentinelOne introduced the first generative AI-powered platform for cybersecurity a year ago. Now, they’re breaking new ground with Purple AI, an AI security analyst that simplifies and accelerates threat hunting, investigations, and response, empowering security teams to save time and money.
“The average enterprise security team receives north of 1,000 alerts per day that require investigation. The same teams must also proactively hunt for threats that evade detection. They are overworked and understaffed and in dire need of help to keep pace,” said Ric Smith, Chief Product and Technology Officer, SentinelOne. “With Purple AI, SentinelOne is delivering the industry’s most advanced GenAI security technology to help detect threats earlier, respond faster, and stay ahead of attacks in an efficient, scalable way.”
Early adopters of Purple AI report executing hunts 80 percent faster, and innovative companies are already taking advantage of this technology to empower their security teams and stay ahead of threats.
“The security insights provided by Purple AI have surpassed anything PruittHealth had before,” said Richard Bailey, SVP IT, PruittHealth Connect Inc. “PurpleAI assists in identifying weaknesses and vulnerabilities, thus bolstering PruittHealth’s overall security. Additionally, it enhances accuracy and reduces human error in data queries, allowing more time for other tasks.”
Far beyond a security chatbot or console search box, Purple AI is an AI-powered security analyst that radically simplifies threat hunting and investigations by translating natural language into structured queries, automatically querying native and partner data, intelligently summarizing results and suggesting follow-on queries in natural language and saving investigations in collaborative notebooks. With Purple AI, security teams can:
Simplify complex queries and streamline investigations with natural language translations. Purple AI is the only AI security analyst that supports the Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework, so analysts have a single normalized view of native and partner data.
Find and mitigate hidden risk across their environment with pre-populated Purple AI Threat Hunting Quick Starts to launch investigations with a single click.
Drive down mean time to respond and time to investigate with suggested next queries and intelligent summarized results in natural language.
Easily collaborate with shared, exportable investigation notebooks and auto-generated emails.
With Purple AI, security teams can save time, increase visibility, and maximize resources, and enterprises of all sizes, across industries, are tapping its power to streamline and enhance their security operations and bolster their defenses.
Anomali, a prominent AI-Powered Security Operations Platform, unveiled its latest innovation aimed at assisting UAE customers in implementing a distinctive multi-lingual Copilot. This Copilot is designed to navigate modern security analytics solutions, offering impressive speed, scalability, and performance enhancements, all while reducing costs.
Anomali is helping some of the largest enterprise customers in the world by consolidating and replacing their full stack of legacy security analytics technology, including ETL, SIEM, NG SIEM, XDR, SOAR and TIP. As an illustration, the company recently helped a global financial institution install Anomali Copilot and replace their legacy security analytics while reducing their cost from $10M to $5M per annum. Together with progressive global customers, Anomali is revolutionizing a different way of managing security.
As part of a global “Be Different” roadshow and given the importance of the UAE to the company’s business, Anomali CEO, Dr. Ahmed Rubaie is traveling from California and will be hosting a celebration event in Dubai (May 1) with our critical partner StarLink, an Infinigate Group Company. Dr. Rubaie along with our local executive team and critical partners, will engage key stakeholders and security executives from across the oil and gas, banking, government, utilities, and telco sectors.
“We are committed to helping the UAE in its continued and impressive emphasis on digitizing the way of life and on optimizing the latest innovation in artificial intelligence for more productivity. With the region’s geopolitical significance and swift digitization, there’s an urgent need for advanced security measures. Anomali is excited to unveil a first in market “different” way of managing security operations,” said Dr. Ahmed Rubaie, CEO of Anomali. “Our continued investment in the UAE is a proactive step towards fortifying critical infrastructure, businesses, and individuals against escalating cybersecurity risks.”
Dr. Rubaie continued, “In 2024, security leaders must think differently and pivot towards more automation and more advanced security analytics to keep up with the demand of business and the macro. Anomali’s innovative approach places analysts at the forefront, offering unparalleled performance, user-friendly interfaces, and superior outcomes in protecting and driving their business — all at a fraction of the legacy costs. Given our cloud native DNA, we are well positioned to help our great customers in the UAE in their cloud migration journey and plan to invest accordingly.”
