TRA warns of increase in cybercrime

The number of cybercrimes committed in the UAE is expected to increase in the coming months as the latest technology makes it easier for hackers to commit fraud, according to a new report.

Rapid advances in information technology were making it more difficult for companies and other organisations to safeguard vital information, said the study by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority's Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT).

The report gave an example of smartphones, which enable users to access the internet without a computer. The team has disclosed figures for computer crime in 2008 and 2009, with offences divided into a number of sections. In the first category, there were five offences of electronic accounts penetration in 2009 and 24 in 2008.

In the second category, there were 26 website penetration cases last year compared with just six in 2008.

In the third category, there were only two cases of spreading malicious programs in 2009 compared with six in 2008.

In the fourth category, the misuse of e-mail, there were three cases in 2009 compared with six in 2008.

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