🇮🇷🇮🇱🇦🇪🇸🇦🇹🇷🇪🇬
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
State-backed hacking from Iran, laundering through Gulf wealth hubs, and a region that is mostly a target.
TAP A COUNTRY FOR ITS OWN PAGE
🇮🇷 State-backed hacking
Iran
Fraud typesState-sponsored hacking (Charming Kitten APT), ransomware source, cyber espionage
More source than victim. APT groups such as Charming Kitten target crypto exchanges. Hacktivism.
🇮🇱 #1 MENA target
Israel
Fraud typesTarget of hacktivism, cybercrime victim, but also crypto fraud source
33–38% of MENA cyberattacks target Israel. Also a past source: the binary-options industry, banned by the Knesset in Oct 2017, took an estimated $1B–$10B a year (Times of Israel).
🇦🇪 #2 MENA target
UAE
Fraud typesMoney laundering hub, crypto fraud, real estate fraud, scam compound presence
$2.9M average cost per cyber incident. Payment fraud loss $884 per consumer (up 270%). Scam compounds reported in the UAE.
🇸🇦 #3 MENA
Saudi Arabia
Fraud typesRansomware victim, identity theft victim, improving enforcement
CPI score rose 7 points to 59/100 (2024). Investing heavily in cybersecurity, but a growing ransomware target.
🇹🇷 Top MENA ransomware target
Turkey
Fraud typesRansomware victim, crypto fraud, call center scams
Most ransomware-targeted country in the Middle East (CloudSEK). GI-TOC criminality score 7.20.
🇪🇬 Interpol flagged
Egypt
Fraud typesRansomware victim, identity fraud, BEC participation
12,281 ransomware detections (2024) — #2 in Africa. Part of MENA cybercrime growth.
🇲🇦 Interpol flagged
Morocco
Fraud typesPhishing, identity fraud, call center scams
5% of MENA cyberattacks. Part of North Africa fraud ecosystem. Operation Ramz participant.
🇮🇶 Interpol flagged
Iraq
Fraud typesInvestment scams, telecom fraud, identity fraud
Part of MENA cybercrime growth. Limited enforcement capacity. Geopolitical instability.
🇱🇧 GI-TOC 7.30
Lebanon
Fraud typesFinancial fraud, Ponzi schemes, money laundering, crypto fraud
GI-TOC criminality score 7.30. The collapse of the financial system drove an increase in fraud. The US Treasury has sanctioned Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial network.
🇯🇴 MENA target
Jordan
Fraud typesRansomware victim, phishing, identity fraud
6% of MENA cyberattacks. Operation Ramz participant. Growing digital economy.
🇶🇦 MENA target
Qatar
Fraud typesRansomware victim, targeted by hacktivism
Growing target due to digitization. 2022 World Cup drove phishing spike. Improving CPI score (59/100).
🇩🇿 #23 Sumsub
Algeria
Fraud typesIdentity fraud, telecom fraud, phishing
Part of North Africa fraud ecosystem. Growing internet penetration.