The United Arab Emirates is fending off a dramatic surge in cyberattacks tied to Iran and its affiliated networks, according to the country’s top cybersecurity official, who says daily attack volumes have nearly tripled since regional tensions escalated earlier this year.
Dr Mohammed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Chairman of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, disclosed the figures during a radio interview, stating that the UAE is now absorbing an average of between 600,000 and 800,000 cyberattacks every day. He directly attributed a significant share of this activity to Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which he said have continued to mount digital offensives through affiliated groups and previously established infrastructure — even as Tehran has publicly claimed diminished internet capacity of its own.
A Threefold Jump Since February
According to Al Kuwaiti, the daily volume of attacks has climbed sharply since February 28, a date that corresponds with the start of a broader regional conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel that has since disrupted shipping, spiked oil prices, and unsettled financial markets across the Gulf. The attacks he described range from relatively minor intrusion attempts to far more serious supply-chain compromises and “wiper” malware — malicious software specifically engineered to permanently erase or corrupt data rather than simply steal it.
Al Kuwaiti identified the energy sector as the single most targeted area throughout the conflict, a pattern consistent with the strategic logic of disrupting critical infrastructure during periods of heightened regional tension. Government systems and services ranked as the second most frequently targeted category, with the financial sector rounding out the top three.
Built-In Resilience, Not Just Reaction
Despite the scale of the threat, officials have stressed that the UAE’s cyber defences have largely prevented meaningful disruption to public-facing services. The Cybersecurity Council has previously detailed how the country repelled coordinated attacks on aviation, energy, and education-sector networks in the earlier months of the conflict, and separately confirmed in the summer that a wave of “sophisticated” attacks targeting the financial sector was detected and neutralised without service interruptions.
Central to the UAE’s response has been a growing emphasis on artificial intelligence as both a target and a tool. Security researchers tracking the region have noted a rise in AI-assisted phishing campaigns, credential theft schemes, and fraudulent company websites tied to the broader instability, with telecoms, energy, and government platforms remaining the most attractive targets because disruptions there tend to cascade well beyond the initial victim. In response, the UAE has invested in building homegrown AI-powered defensive systems, including a dedicated “cyber factory” initiative aimed at developing detection and deterrence technology domestically.
Context: A Volatile Regional Backdrop
The disclosure comes against the backdrop of a tense several months for the UAE, which has also had to contend with direct military provocations, including an intercepted drone that Emirati authorities said approached from Iranian territory over UAE waters, and missile activity affecting neighbouring Jordan. While those incidents represent conventional military escalation, officials say the cyber dimension of the conflict has been just as persistent, if less visible to the public.
Al Kuwaiti’s comments serve as both a reassurance and a warning: reassurance that the country’s digital defences are functioning as intended, and a warning that the threat landscape shows no sign of easing while regional tensions remain unresolved. For businesses and residents, the message from officials has consistently been to maintain standard cybersecurity hygiene — from multi-factor authentication to cautious handling of unsolicited communications — as the broader geopolitical standoff continues to spill into the digital realm.
As the UAE positions itself as a regional hub for advanced technology and finance, the resilience of its digital infrastructure is likely to remain a closely watched metric, both by residents concerned about service continuity and by international investors weighing the stability of the country’s business environment. Next Article
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