The United Arab Emirates faces an unprecedented volume of sophisticated cyber attacks, with over 70% originating from state-sponsored threat groups, according to Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Government Cybersecurity Council. Since January 2026, authorities have documented 128 confirmed cyber incidents targeting critical national infrastructure, including ransomware attacks, government breaches, and sensitive data leaks.
Dr. Al Kuwaiti revealed that UAE defenses withstand between 90,000 to 200,000 breach attempts daily, all successfully neutralized without compromising service continuity or data integrity. Threat intelligence analysis indicates that Asia serves as the primary origin point (66.7%) for state-sponsored attacks, followed by Europe (14.3%), with remaining threats emanating from Middle Eastern or cross-regional actors.
The cybersecurity landscape has evolved beyond traditional attacks, with digital disinformation campaigns and deepfake technologies becoming weapons of choice to erode public trust, manipulate financial markets, and damage international reputation. Although no official statistics exist for deepfake incidents, fabricated videos depicting public figures promoting fraudulent schemes have increased significantly.
Government administration (9.4%) and financial services (9.3%) emerged as the most targeted sectors, with real estate (5.5%), construction (4.7%), and transportation (3.9%) following closely. Attack methodologies show website defacement accounting for 38.3% of incidents, while data leaks (25.8%), data breaches (13.3%), and ransomware attacks (7.8%) represent other significant threats.
The UAE counterstrategy employs an integrated technical and legislative framework featuring early detection systems, advanced content analysis, and community awareness programs. The National Security Operations Center serves as the central hub for real-time threat intelligence sharing and coordinated response across multiple operations centers nationwide.
Dr. Al Kuwaiti emphasized the nation’s commitment to developing national cybersecurity talent through specialized programs and leadership academies, while simultaneously strengthening international partnerships through multilateral channels and bilateral agreements for threat intelligence exchange and incident response coordination.