Tag Archive for: middle

Does Turkey need the EU anyway? – Middle East Monitor

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Australia’s scrapping of the French submarines deal constitutes a turning point in the strength and solidarity of the Western alliance headed by the US, which dominated the world stage following the end of the Cold War period and the formation of the Western-oriented world order.

Over the past three decades, there was a state of harmony and consistency between the US and its global allies, including European countries, Canada, Australia and others. This was represented in backing the US-led wars in Afghanistan in 2001 and in Iraq in 2003, and other hot files worldwide.

Turkey, for its part, sided with the Western camp in the Cold War period and in the early post-Cold War period, by keeping close ties and alliances with the US and Europe. In the nineties of the last century, Turkey exerted great efforts to join the European Union (EU), but suffered a long procrastination process. However, within Turkey’s long waiting period, many changes and developments on the world stage took place.

In recent years, European countries, mainly France, began to realise how they were marginalised in the international arena when dealing with events such as the Ukrainian crisis with Russia and the differences between France and the US on dealing with the Syrian crisis. Similarly, the same can be said with the Iranian file, where the US position was the dominant actor in dealing with Iran. Last but not least, the US dominated the international community’s approach towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, even with the presence of the international quartet (the US, the EU, the United Nations (UN) and Russia).

New alliance

In a virtual joint press conference on 15 September for US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the latter announced his country’s scrapping of a multi-billion deal with France and inking a new one with the US and the UK to purchase nuclear-powered submarines, instead of the French diesel-powered submarines.

The move was shocking to France, which described it as a “stab in the back”. Paris recalled its ambassadors to Canberra and Washington for consultations. Other European countries were also astounded, as they felt…

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Credence Security Signs Partnership Agreement with Infosec Ventures to Deliver Human-Centric Security Solutions to the Middle East

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Regional Value-added Distributor, Credence Security will drive the reach and engagement for Infosec Ventures’ HumanFireWall solutions and support the vendor’s regional growth

DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Credence Security, a leading regional specialized value-added distributor for cybersecurity, forensics, governance, risk and compliance solutions, today announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Infosec Ventures’ HumanFirewall, a leader in human cyber risk mitigation and management.

Photo Caption: (L) Garreth Scott, Managing Director, Credence Security and Ankush Johar, Director, Infosec Ventures and Marie Ah-Choon, Channel Executive, Credence Security and Moe Bux, Sales Director, Credence Security (R) (PRNewsfoto/Credence Security)

Photo Caption: (L) Garreth Scott, Managing Director, Credence Security and Ankush Johar, Director, Infosec Ventures and Marie Ah-Choon, Channel Executive, Credence Security and Moe Bux, Sales Director, Credence Security (R) (PRNewsfoto/Credence Security)

Under the agreement, Credence Security will be responsible for promoting and delivering Infosec Ventures’ HumanFirewall® platform across its robust channel network in the Middle East. Infosec Ventures’ offerings are available entirely on-premises or in a local cloud, in line with compliance and data sovereignty regulations, specifically for mission critical organizations in the government as well as large enterprises.

Hackers are increasingly preying on the human element of cybersecurity, as a primary attack vector. According to the Verizon 2021 Data Breach & Incident Report (DBIR), over 85% of data breaches involved human error. In the Middle East, a 2020 study by the Ponemon Institute and IBM Security, revealed that the average cost of a data breach per company in the region is $6.53 million, which is higher than the global average of $3.86 million per incident. The report also identified human error among the most common root causes of data breaches in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, similar industry studies have indicated that more than 90% of successful cyber-attacks begin with an email. These figures highlight a significant need for solutions that will not only safeguard business-critical systems but will also transform employees into an organization’s best cybersecurity asset.

HumanFirewall® transforms employees from an organization’s weakest link into their strongest line of defence. It is a world-first…

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From the Middle East to China, Pegasus spyware revelations show the spread of hacking as a service

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The line that separates cyber defence from cyber mercenaries is easily blurred, and China presents a challenge for regulating private espionage.

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‘Cyberattack’ hits Iran transport ministry and railway – Middle East Monitor

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The website of Iran’s transport ministry was taken down on Saturday by what state television said was a “cyber disruption”, a day after an apparent cyberattack on the state railway company, reported Reuters.

Computer systems of the staff of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development were the subject of the attack which resulted in the ministry’s portal and sub-portal sites becoming unavailable, the TV channel reported.

It didn’t give any indication of who it believed could have been behind the attack and did not say if any ransom demand had been made.

Train services had been disrupted on Friday, with hackers posting fake delay notices on station boards, state-affiliated news outlets reported. The government-run railway company said only the displays had been affected and that trains ran normally.

Opinion: Middle East nuclear proliferation may be on the way, but the immediate threat is cyberwarfare

Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi warned on Saturday of possible ransomware attacks unless vulnerabilities in computer systems were dealt with, Iranian news outlets reported.

In late 2020, Iran said hackers launched large-scale attacks on two of its government institutions, without giving details on the targets or the suspected perpetrators.

Iran says it is on high alert for online assaults, which it has blamed in the past on the United States and Israel. The United States and other Western powers meanwhile have accused Iran of trying to disrupt and break into their networks.

Israel general: Destroying Iran nuclear program harder than destroying Iraq’s, Syria’s

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