The UAE is facing an intense and evolving cyber threat landscape, with the majority of attacks linked to state-sponsored actors, according to national cybersecurity officials.
Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Government Cybersecurity Council, revealed that 71.4 percent of tracked cyber threats targeting the country originate from advanced persistent threat groups backed by state entities.
Al Kuwaiti said the UAE’s integrated cybersecurity ecosystem is successfully detecting and countering between 90,000 and 200,000 breach attempts against national infrastructure every day without affecting service continuity or data security.
Since the beginning of 2026, authorities have recorded 128 confirmed cyber incidents across government and private sector entities, including ransomware attacks, data breaches, and system intrusions. All incidents were contained under unified national response protocols designed to ensure rapid mitigation and operational stability.
Government administration and financial services ranked among the most targeted sectors, alongside real estate and other critical industries. Website defacement accounted for 38.3 percent of incidents, followed by data leaks at 25.8 percent and data breaches at 13.3 percent.
Officials are currently tracking 21 active APT groups and 60 cybercriminal and hacktivist actors, with most attacks originating from Asia, followed by Europe and other regions. Nearly half of coordinated activities were conducted through Telegram, while others operated via open web forums and dark web infrastructure.
Al Kuwaiti also warned of increasing use of deepfake technology and online disinformation campaigns aimed at manipulating markets and undermining public trust, particularly through fabricated content impersonating public figures.
The UAE continues to strengthen defenses through its 2025–2031 national cybersecurity strategy, centralized threat monitoring systems, and international cooperation efforts to enhance digital resilience and protect national cyberspace.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
