AMMAN — Jordan recorded 2,391 cyber incidents during the first half of this year, a 5.7 per cent increase from the same period last year, National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) Director Mohammad Smadi said on Tuesday.

 

Smadi said that most of the incidents were of medium severity, including technical scanning and reconnaissance, attempted breaches and denial-of-service attempts, Al Mamlaka TV reported.

 

He also noted that the centre uses the term “cyber incident” to cover both actual breaches and attempts that are detected and thwarted.

 

The rise in cyber incidents is linked to several factors, foremost among them regional geopolitical tensions and developments, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and security vulnerabilities in some digital assets that may have gone undetected or were only recently discovered, Smadi said.

 

He said cyber incidents are classified according to their severity. High-severity incidents directly affect critical operations and infrastructure, including the energy and water sectors, while incidents targeting sensitive systems involve sensitive data and systems.

 

Medium-severity incidents include scanning and technical reconnaissance, malware and attempted breaches, while low-severity incidents include repeated unsuccessful attempts to access systems, he added.

 

Smadi said that advances in artificial intelligence have contributed to more sophisticated cyberattacks, noting that AI can be used to develop attacks that are harder to detect and counter.

 

He said the NCSC is working to keep pace with these developments and maintain a balance between its defensive capabilities and the offensive capabilities used by hackers.

 

Under the National Cybersecurity Strategy, the centre is seeking to use artificial intelligence in defensive operations and to thwart attacks, strengthening its ability to detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents, Smadi said.

 

He identified greater integration within the national cybersecurity system as a key priority of the strategy, through closer coordination and clearer division of roles between the NCSC and national institutions.

 

Smadi said that Cybersecurity Law No. 16 of 2019 empowers the centre to require public and private sector institutions and civil society organisations to comply with its policies, legislation, controls and procedures.

 

The centre also works closely with institutions, particularly government entities providing digital services to citizens, to ensure the security of those services and conduct the necessary cybersecurity tests before their launch, he said.

 

Smadi said that Jordan’s cybersecurity capabilities rest on three main pillars, including human capital, policies, legislation and regulatory controls, and technology.

 

He stressed that Jordan has highly qualified professionals in the field, adding that cybersecurity is not limited to technical specialists and technological tools but also depends on citizens’ and users’ awareness when operating in the digital space.