posted 10-20-2003 04:55 PM            

Israel top base for Internet attacks

JERUSALEM, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A survey by Symantec says Middle Eastern countries comprised six of the top 10 bases for Internet attacks, it was reported Monday.

In the first half of 2003, the top offenders included Israel as well as Iran, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, WorldTribune.com said.

Symantec ranked the threats according to the size of a country's Internet population base. Israel was cited as the biggest source of Web-based attacks with an Internet user base of more than 1 million, Middle East Newsline reported.

About 80 percent of all attacks originated from systems located in 10 countries.

"The Internet is a great leveler and the issue of Web security in the Middle East is no different from any other part of the world," Kevin Isaac, regional director at Symantec, said.

"Wherever there is high bandwidth availability and a proliferation of the Internet, the chances of breaches taking place are high."