UAE Cybersecurity Chief Highlights State-Sponsored Threats
On Wednesday, the head of cybersecurity in the UAE, Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, articulated a pressing concern: the preponderance of digital threats facing the nation is state-sponsored. He further asserted that these threats are being effectively countered with “high efficiency.”
Al Kuwaiti disclosed that the UAE experiences between 90,000 and 200,000 attempted breaches “every single day.”
In an interview with the state news agency Wam, he revealed that a significant proportion of attacks targeting the UAE’s digital infrastructure stem from 21 active persistent threats and 60 hacktivist groups originating in regions including Asia, Europe, and South Africa. Alarmingly, he noted that 71.4 percent of these attacks are state-sponsored.
The sectors most vulnerable to cybercrime in the UAE encompass government administration, financial services, and banking, according to Al Kuwaiti. Asia is responsible for approximately 66.7 percent of these state-sponsored activities, while Europe accounts for 14.3 percent; the remainder is attributed to Middle Eastern or cross-regional actors.
Additionally, Al Kuwaiti addressed the burgeoning use of deepfake technology and the rampant spread of disinformation by malicious entities, intended to “erode public trust” and tarnish the nation’s reputation.
“The escalating geopolitical tensions across North Africa, the Gulf, and the broader Middle East have magnified online narratives targeting the UAE,” he elaborated.
“Conflict-driven discourse, diplomatic strains, and AI-fueled disinformation activities have exacerbated rumor dissemination and hacktivist mobilization across regional digital landscapes.”
His remarks follow warnings from technology and cybersecurity experts who have highlighted that modern and previously obscure AI tools are now easily accessible, empowering groups and individuals to execute disinformation campaigns with greater efficacy.
Last year, in an interview with The National, Al Kuwaiti underscored the UAE’s commitment to prioritizing cybersecurity over the past decade. “Our primary focus encompasses cybercrime, cyber terrorism, and cyber warfare,” he mentioned, adding aspirations to evolve into an “exporter of cybersecurity talent.”
During a conference in Washington in September, Al Kuwaiti emphasized the importance of forging partnerships with cybersecurity and technology firms to ensure the integrity of the nation’s digital infrastructure.
He recounted an instance where an alert regarding a potential cyberattack was received from a partner rather than a government source, recalling a “zero-day attack” in 2025 that was successfully mitigated without resulting in any damage.
In November, the UAE initiated a national encryption policy, which has been lauded as a comprehensive strategy designed to position the country as a quantum-safe economy.
“The UAE is among a select few nations adopting a proactive stance towards this issue, which is critically important now,” commented Mohammed Aboul-Magd, vice president of product at SandboxAQ’s cybersecurity division.
Source link: Thenationalnews.com.
