As the world's digital defences race to keep up with rapidly evolving threats , the UAE's top cybersecurity official has sounded the alarm on a sharp rise in attacks targeting critical infrastructure.

Speaking on day two of Gitex Global 2025 , Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, warned that cyberattacks are not only becoming more frequent but also increasingly complex.

“Data attacks and services are increasing, adding to the complexity. More than 37 per cent year-on-year of critical infrastructure will be targeted,” he said.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

According to him, vulnerabilities in identity and access management continue to be among the biggest causes of major breaches.“19 per cent of those data exposures or leaks could be because of cloud misconfigurations,” Al Kuwaiti noted.

The impact, he added, is financially devastating.“Just a simple attack or leak can cause more than $4.8 million in some cases-and globally, the total cost of cyberattacks and cybercrimes is estimated to reach more than $10.5 trillion in 2025 alone.”

Despite stronger security frameworks, the threat landscape continues to expand.“We face more than 200,000 cyberattacks daily,” Al Kuwaiti revealed.

“These range from ransomware and data leaks to cybercrimes targeting our younger generation, including child online safety. Many attacks also target critical infrastructure. Whether local or international, these attacks are increasing as we adopt more technologies-making system readiness more important than ever.”

Pillars of national strategy

Al Kuwaiti outlined the five pillars of the UAE's National Cybersecurity Strategy - the framework underpinning the country's digital resilience.

“The first pillar is governance -ensuring that technologies, people, and processes work together through clear frameworks and robust policies,” he said.“Governance isn't just about using technology, but about inventing and innovating it.”

He pointed to GITEX North Star as an example of this innovation in action.“You've seen this spirit of innovation at GITEX North Star, where over 2,000 startups-many focused on cybersecurity and AI, are showcasing their solutions. We also focus on people readiness and what we call a 'cyber culture,' ensuring safety and security in a daily manner.”

The second pillar is innovation. “The UAE is home to over 200 nationalities - a place of collaboration and shared ideas,” Al Kuwaiti said.“Innovation drives our partnerships and initiatives such as CyberE71, which supports emerging startups. We are also advancing agentic AI orchestrators that coordinate multiple AI agents for automated detection and response,” is an example of how we continue to push boundaries in cybersecurity technology.

The third pillar is protection and defence. “Our mission is to keep the UAE - both physically and virtually - the safest place in the world. That's why we've developed early-warning systems like ETHRETS, which monitor threats across the dark web and critical infrastructure, using automation and AI for rapid response,” he explained.

The fourth pillar is policy and compliance. “We've introduced comprehensive frameworks such as the Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Policy, IoT Security Policy, and Cloud Security Policy - all ensuring compliance, transparency, and protection of sensitive data, including within sovereign and partially sovereign clouds.”

Finally, the fifth pillar is partnership. “Collaboration between government, the private sector, and the community - what we call Public-Private-People Partnership - is the foundation of our digital resilience,” he said.“We cannot achieve our goals without this collective effort. Through strong partnerships, we can build a secure and thriving digital economy that protects humanity and empowers innovation.”

MENAFN14102025000049011007ID1110196584