Arab Banks Take Measures To Protect Against Ransomware Attack

On May 16, 2017, it was reported that banks and financial institutions throughout the Arab world were taking precautionary measures to anticipate the ransomware attacks that have impacted the region. For example, the Central Bank of Egypt recommended upgrading security systems, launching anti-virus programs, more efficient solutions for protecting Internet access addresses, and activating Microsoft's latest firewall patches to secure the bank's data network. It also directed banks to update firewall configurations to close access to ports hosting Internet services or internal data networks. Banks were also instructed to disable the SMP system for data servers not used for activity or electronic services to prevent the access of malicious interactions, and to close and block all files carrying extensions such as ".exe" from the portals of emails to prevent infection by malicious software. Additionally, the Central Bank of Lebanon reportedly suspended electronic services after being hacked, and a bank in Jordan stopped processing bank cards. In the UAE, there were reports of calls asking if customers had credit cards. Source: english.arabiya.net, May 16, 2017