UAE: Block phishing attacks on your phone, laptop through this web extension

Dubai: Most people think they cannot be scammed, but overestimating your ability to spot a fraud attempt can prove to be dangerous at times, with cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated and socially engineered. To help online users in the UAE stay safe online, Dubai Digital Government has introduced a tool that can protect them from phishing attacks.

The RZAM extension was created by an all-Emirati team from the Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC), helping online users browse the internet without worrying about malicious content.

If you want to increase your online safety, whether on your phone or laptop, here is how you can protect yourself from phishing attacks.

What is a phishing attack?

Phishing attacks refer to the practice of sending fraudulent communications – often via email – that appear to come from a reputable source, according to Cisco Systems Inc., a multinational digital communications technology company. The goal is to steal sensitive data like credit card and login information, or to install malware on the your machine.

Over the past few months, government organisations in the UAE have raised awareness on such attacks, urging users to not fall prey to emails that duplicate official logos or appear to be coming from a government department or official organisations.

You may come across a phishing email in the form of emails or text messages from postal or courier companies, asking you to pick up undelivered parcels or as a Know Your Customer (KYC) email claiming to be from a service provider.

How to install the RZAM extension

While there are ways in which you can identify a phishing attack, the RZAM extension continually assesses each web page for malicious content.

Developed by an all-Emirati team at DESC, the RZAM plugin uses artificial intelligence to recognise malicious content, with a 95 per cent accuracy level.

Where you can install the RZAM extension

The extension is currently available on three platforms:

1. As a browser extension for Chrome
2. As a browser extension for Firefox
3. As a browser extension for Safari, available on the Apple App store.

You can easily download the extension for any of the platforms listed above by visiting the RZAM website - https://desc.gov.ae/rzam/index.html