Cyber threat in Middle East higher than global average: report

Cyber threats in Middle East are growing rapidly with the average attack size in 2016 significantly higher than the global average, with Saudi Arabia the top target, according to a report.
A US-based software company's latest Worldwide Infrastructure Security Report said that so far this year, Saudi Arabia has been the top target for large DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks in the Middle East, with 2/3rd of the region's largest attacks having targeted the Kingdom.
DDoS or Denial of Service attacks are a type of cyber- attack where hackers and criminals will flood a system from multiple systems that in turn, overloads servers and turns critical.

Iraq and Kuwait were placed second and third on the list respectively.
With almost every organisation now depending on the internet for doing business, the consequences can be disastrous when it is cut off. The cost of internet downtime was one of the questions addressed to enterprises, the report said.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents estimated the costs to their organisation to be above USD 500 per minute, with 7 per cent indicating more than USD 10,000 per minute.

A number of respondents chose not to answer this question because they had no idea on the same.
With Middle East average attack size predicted to rise over 2.5 gbps by the end of 2016, it has never been a more important time for businesses to ensure they are protected.

Large attacks are classified as anything over 10 gbps.
The report said organisations in the Middle East need to rethink their approach towards this growing threat.