Was the MENA region affected in the global cyber attack?

You may not have noticed, but a huge section of the world’s computer networks were hit this weekend with a slew of ransomware attacks zeroing in on unsuspecting companies around the globe. 

Now before you all start changing your Twitter passwords, here’s a little information about what exactly went down.  

The cyber attack began on Friday when hackers tricked a number of victims around the world into opening malicious malware attachments/spam emails that promised the usual scam fodder of tax returns, job offers and security warnings.

A number of those who were duped into clicking found themselves locked out of their computers, with demands of up to $600 to restore access, as ransomware encrypted data on their system. 

So, who was hit?  Well, a number of countries in Europe suffered badly, with Telefonica of Spain, Fed Ex and (perhaps most worryingly) the UK’s National Health Service all severely disrupted in their digital systems. Russia remains the hardest hit so far, with a reported 70% of targets known at this point. 

Fortunately, users in the MENA region seem to have escaped relatively unscathed from the online fracas, with only Egypt announced as being in the top 20 of the most affected countries globally.

While Cybersecurity experts are working around the clock to stop the ongoing malware attack, we’d recommend being extra scrupulous in your email openings over the next few days…