[info_box point1=”Recent cyber activity has increasingly threatened Bahrain” point2= “Notable incidents include a December 2023 attack by Anonymous Vietnam” point3=”CYFIRMA Research suggests enforcing multi-factor authentication”]
Recent cyber activity has increasingly threatened Bahrain, driven by politically motivated hacktivism and widespread data leaks.
Notable incidents include a December 2023 attack by Anonymous Vietnam, which disrupted three critical national websites-Bahrain Electricity Company, Bahrain Stock Exchange, and the Central Bank of Bahrain.
In late 2024, the HackX MaFiaServ hacking group claimed access to 6,200 user accounts from Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority, heightening concerns about credential harvesting and potential account takeovers.
Furthermore, on 2 September 2025, the Cyber Fattah team announced their intent to target Gulf nations, including Bahrain, amid ongoing political unrest.
A significant breach occurred on 29 July 2025, when a hacker using the alias BIGBROTHER claimed to have leaked data from Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior, offering 200 GB of sensitive information for USD 9,999 in Monero.
This incident was duplicated by the threat group ShinyHunters, in coordinated cyber operations aimed at critical government infrastructure.
To combat these attacks, CYFIRMA Research suggests enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) across vital services, promptly applying security updates, and limit the exposure of sensitive assets.
Implementing DDoS mitigation measures is crucial to protect national websites from politically motivated disruptions. Continuous monitoring for data leaks on underground forums and the dark web is necessary to prevent the exposure of Bahraini credentials.
Additionally, proactive log monitoring can help detect reconnaissance activities and unauthorised access attempts, while maintaining offline backups and strong network segmentation is vital for ransomware preparedness.
It also suggests staff training on phishing and social engineering tactics to reduce credential harvesting risks, and collaboration with CERT-Bahrain and other partners as important steps for sharing threat intelligence and staying ahead of emerging risks.
