AMMAN — Bassam Maharmeh, the president of the National Cybersecurity Center, announced on Friday that the number of cybersecurity
incidents targeting government institutions and vital sectors in Jordan last
year reached 1,326. اضافة اعلان
Maharmeh added that 2 percent of these attacks were deemed
“very dangerous,” Al-Mamlaka TV reported.
Maharmeh also noted that there had been a significant increase
in ransomware attacks during the second half of last year. Ransomware is a type
of malicious software that threatens to publish the victim’s data or block
access to it unless a ransom is paid.
Report to follow
The
National Cybersecurity Center is responsible for protecting government networks
and vital sectors, such as communications, electricity, and national
security-related sectors, from cyberattacks, said Maharmeh.
He added that the center will soon publish a detailed report on
the most prominent cybersecurity incidents that occurred in Jordan last year.
Vulnerabilities
in VMware esxi systems
Earlier
this year, the center warned of a security vulnerability that may expose
devices to ransomware attacks.
The center explained that the security
vulnerability targets systems that operate on the VMware esxi system, allowing
ransomware programs such as “ESXiArs” to exploit the vulnerability
and encrypt sensitive data, demanding a ransom payment in exchange for the
decryption key.
As a
preventative measure, the center advises users of systems operating on the
VMware ESXi system to update to the latest version as soon as possible to
address this security vulnerability and protect their systems from ransomware
programs.
Additionally, the center recommends implementing strong access
controls and authentication procedures, regularly backing up important data and
storing backups off-site, and training employees on best cybersecurity
practices.
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