The UAE’s energy, aviation, government sectors have been key targets for cyberattacks, the country’s cybersecurity head said, adding that cyber resilience is increasingly linked to national and economic security.
Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE government, said in a keynote speech at Gisec Global that critical infrastructure is a major target, with bad actors attempting to attack essential sectors like energy, telecommunications, aviation, government and healthcare.
He added that artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the cyber threat landscape, as the technology is readily embedded.
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“AI is now embedded across technologies, but the same capabilities are being misused by attackers,” he said, referring to deepfakes, supply-chain attacks, and increasingly sophisticated attempts against critical infrastructure.
640,000 attacks in one day
The cybersecurity chief said on Tuesday that the UAE recorded 640,000 cyberattacks in one single day, with attacks targeting data and critical sectors. These attacks go far beyond temporary service disruption, with hackers targeting data and critical sectors such as electricity, water and the economy, Al Kuwaiti said.
He added during his panel that cybersecurity depends on collective defence, urging a collaborative effort between government, businesses, technology providers, international partners and the wider community.
“Governments cannot address these threats alone. Partnerships are essential to identifying and countering attacks,” he said.
He added that the UAE is preparing for threats beyond AI. Alongside AI, he highlighted post-quantum security, autonomous systems and agentic AI as emerging priorities. His message was that security must be built into new technologies by design from the outset, rather than added later.
Source: Khaleej Times