Skype isn't working in the UAE ... and it might be a cyber attack

Thousands of UAE residents complained that Skype call services were down in the country over the weekend, Gulf News reported. 

While at first people thought the service had been blocked, the problem appears to be related to "a cyber-attack launched on the service last week."

On June 19, hacking group CyberTeam claimed responsibility for the issues affecting Skype globally, posting on Twitter: “Skype down by CyberTeam.”

Since then, users of the app have complained of difficulty in accessing the service. 

The UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has yet to comment. 

In a statement posted to their Twitter account and official blog, Skype, a Microsoft company, responded to inquiries on the latest hack (or block). 

According to the statement, issues with Skype in the UAE seem to be caused by the service being blocked in the country. 

"It has been brought to our attention that our website and services have been blocked by both of the ISPs in the United Arab Emirates. That means you won't be able to use Skype in the United Arab Emirates," the statement read. 

 "Unfortunately, there is very little Skype can do about this situation. The best course of action would be for you to speak to your ISP and ask why they are blocking Skype and request that they unblock our site and services," it added. 

The news of a Skype block in the country comes days after people reported that call and video features on WhatsApp were working again after having been blocked since 2016.

However, "a statement issued by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said there is no change in the UAE’s Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Policy," and the service was later blocked again.