More than 200 cyber attacks against government and private sector companies were reported in the first eight months of the year, the UAE's telecoms authority said. The Telecommunications Regulations Authority said 230 cyber attacks occurred from January to August of this year, a 27.4 per cent decline on the 317 recorded in the corresponding period in 2018. The authority said its Computer Emergency Response Team prevented 40 attempts to infiltrate computer systems in August , down from 51 in the same month in 2018. The TRA said it had launched a series of awareness campaigns across the Emirates, including lectures, seminars and workshops, to promote cyber safety. Instances of cyber attacks include hacking, identity theft and fraud, the TRA said.