KUWAIT: An information security expert and Head of the Cybersecurity Committee at the Kuwait Electronic Media Union Muhammad Al-Rashidi warned against a spreading virus, which is a ransomware link claiming to be a video clip of scenes of the earthquake that recently struck Turkey and Syria, revealing that a number of Kuwaiti companies have fallen victim to this virus, and sums have been requested in order to decode its encryption, reports Al-Rai daily.
In a press statement, Al-Rashidi said, “Once the link is opened, all files are encrypted and money is requested in exchange for decrypting this encryption.
Hackers are taking advantage of global events to encrypt files, use social engineering, and make fake links about global events such as earthquakes. When people click the link, the device is hacked and given a 24-hour deadline with the threat that in the event of non-payment, all the files in the device will be completely destroyed, either personal or company files.”
When asked what steps have to be taken in such cases, Al-Rashidi said, “Payment is a big mistake because there is no guarantee of decryption after payment. We recommend resorting to international companies specialized in decryption to reopen it. This may cost large sums, but it is better than paying hackers.”
He added, “Dealing with ransomware (malicious software) is based on the user’s awareness, which is the biggest bulwark, because there is no one ready to protect himself from such attempts.”
Al-Rashidi advised all technology users to the effect, “Do not download unofficial programs or advertisements for free links to paid programs.”

KUWAIT (Agencies): With the fasting month of Ramadan around the corner, the price monitoring team of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, carried out a proactive campaign on the markets selling dates, food commodities, and mills in the Shuwaikh area to view and control prices, reports Al-Qabas daily. Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Muhammad Al-Enezi, told the daily strict measures are being taken to protect consumers’ rights and monitor prices, especially in cooperative societies and supermarkets, and to prevent artificial rise in prices.

Al-Enezi mentioned that the focus is on cooperative societies to control prices, especially since they represent 80 percent of the consumer market, indicating that the work of field teams is continuing and that the goal of monitoring the market is to protect consumers from artificial prices. The director of the technical apparatus for supervising commodities at the Ministry of Commerce, Faisal Al-Ansari, pointed out that work continues to monitor prices especially during the blessed month of Ramadan.

KUWAIT : The Ministry of Interior announced ban on use of drone cameras along the Arabian Gulf Street, including Kuwait Towers and the Green Island areas, from Monday, February 20, until March 1. The decision to ban drone photography is a safety measure since UAV shows are planned to take place in these areas during that time, according to a press release from the Ministry’s General Directorate of Security Relations and Media. The statement urged the public, for their safety, to abide by the decision to avoid intervention in the radio frequencies of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) participating in the shows. Meanwhile, Ministry of Defense Undersecretary Dr. Abdullah Mishal Al- Sabah received Monday Spanish Admiral of Fleet Juan Luis Sobrino Perez, on the occasion of his official visit to Kuwait accompanied by Spanish Ambassador Miguel Aguilar. (KUNA)

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior carried out a security campaign along with the department of Public morals and human trafficking which resulted in arresting a group of men and women of various nationalities on charges of prostitution violating public morals in Hawally governorate. All have been referred to the competent authorities to take legal action. They have been charged with inciting immorality, debauchery, and practicing vice.

KUWAIT: The Governmental Center for Testing and Quality Control, affiliated to the Ministry of Public Works, has canceled the accreditation of 3 asphalt factories for violating the requirements, reports Al-Qabas daily. Informed sources revealed the ministry “has spent 6.6 billion dinars over the course of 10 years, without significant changes in the condition of the country’s streets and roads, which are as the situation has gone from bad to worse, year after year.
The sources told Al-Qabas that the step came after the team of engineers of the Field Asphalt Division of the Road Laboratories Department monitored the violation of the three factories to the approved technical specifications, which was represented in the presence of natural sand in the cold cones, on the conveyor belt for materials, inside the roaster, and in the factory deformations during production.
The sources stated that “the lack of oversight, whether on asphalt factories or during the process of laying asphalt on roads, caused the loss of large sums of money in the past years, and is one of the reasons for the continued flying of gravel despite all this spending.”
The sources indicated that the total actual expenditure of the Works during the past 10 fiscal years, that is, from the fiscal year 2011-2012 to the fiscal year 2021-2022, amounted to 6.6 billion dinars out of 7.6 billion allocated to the ministry, with an expenditure rate of 87%, indicating that the largest share was spent on the implementation and maintenance of roads, compared to the rest of the other sectors in the ministry.
The sources indicated that the share of the Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport during the last 8 years (starting from 2014-2015 until 2021- 2022) amounted to 2.7 billion dinars, out of 3 billion allocated to the authority during the same period, with a disbursement rate of 92%

Government buildings and banks across Kuwait began to hang pictures of the leadership, symbols of the country and the nation’s flag, striking mesmerizing images by nightfall. The gesture came in celebration of Kuwait’s 62nd National Day and 32nd Liberation Day anniversary from the Iraqi invasion. KUWAIT CITY, Feb 20: Assistant Minister of the International Department at the Communist Party of China Central Committee Zhu Rui confirmed that Kuwait is the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic relations with China and the first Arab country to sign a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), reports Al- Qabas daily. Speaking on the sidelines of a lecture organized by the Chinese Embassy entitled, “China’s New March and New Opportunities for the World” as part of his first visit to Kuwait, Rui stressed that political trust between the two countries continues to deepen.